Google has asked a US judge not to enforce widespread changes to its Play Store that were proposed by Epic Games during the companies’ antitrust battle.
Google claimed in a court filing on Thursday (2 May) that Epic’s proposal “would make it nearly impossible for Google to compete”.
In 2023, Epic Games won its antitrust lawsuit against Google, claiming the search engine giant purposefully stifled competition with restrictions on app downloads and in-app transactions.
Writing on its blog at the time, Epic Games stated that the ruling was a “win for app developers and consumers around the world” and noted that the court case signified a need for legislation over both Apple and Google’s influence on app markets.
In March, the Fortnite maker proposed to a US judge that Google should make it easier for users to download apps from outside sources and give developers more freedom in their charging offerings.
Epic also proposed limiting Google’s ability to make agreements with device makers to restrict the preloading of competing app stores.
Google has claimed that remedies in a related Play Store settlement “fully address” Epic’s concerns.
The search engine giant said it would pay $700m to resolve the states’ case in December, and agreed to allow other billing options for in-app purchases.
In a statement, Wilson White, Google’s head of government affairs and public policy, said: “Epic’s demands would harm the privacy, security, and overall experience of consumers, developers, and device manufacturers.”
“Google fights against Epic Games’ proposal for major Play Store overhaul” was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand.
Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/google-fights-against-epic-games-093707889.html