Google’s Appeal Denied in Epic Games Case Over App Store Modifications

A report by Reuters on Thursday revealed that Google has lost its appeal against a court ruling requiring the company to alter its app store in an antitrust case brought by Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Google’s argument that the trial judge made legal errors in the antitrust case that unfairly favored Epic Games.

Epic Games initially filed its lawsuit in 2020, successfully convincing a jury in 2023 that Google had unlawfully hindered competition. In October of the previous year, the trial judge directed Google to grant rival companies access to its app store, thereby providing Android users with a wider array of app download options. This directive was put on hold while Google appealed the decision.

During its appeal, Google argued that its Play Store competes with Apple’s App Store and claimed that the trial judge improperly limited its ability to use this argument as a defense against Epic’s antitrust claims.