Google Appeals to Supreme Court in Bid to Halt Epic Games Ruling Google is making a last-ditch effort to the US Supreme Court, asking the justices to pause a major antitrust ruling it lost to Epic Games. The filing comes after Google already lost an appeal at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, making the Supreme Court its final option for relief. The core of the issue is an injunction set to take effect soon. This ruling, stemming from a legal defeat for Google in October 2024, forces the company to open up its Google Play Store to third-party app stores for three years. Google is urgently requesting the Supreme Court to step in by October 17, just three days before the injunction is scheduled to begin. The company hopes the Court will not only issue a stay but also agree to a full review of the case. In its filing, Google argues the lower court’s ruling should be overturned and lays out its case for why the injunction is harmful. The company contends that forcing the Play Store open creates enormous security and safety risks by allowing stores with malicious, deceptive, or pirated content to proliferate on Android devices. Google also claims the ruling unfairly burdens app developers. The company states developers would be forced to constantly monitor dozens or even hundreds of new app stores that might suddenly carry their apps without permission. Furthermore, Google argues the injunction will make it substantially easier for developers to avoid compensating Google for Play Store services that are unrelated to its payment system. This legal move is the latest in a four-year legal battle with the maker of Fortnite. The ruling Google is challenging went far beyond just allowing third-party stores. It also prohibits Google from making exclusive deals to pre-install the Play Store on phones and bans the company from forcing developers to use its own billing system. This outcome stands in stark contrast to Epic Games similar lawsuit against Apple. In that case, Epic won only a small, though meaningful, concession. Against Google, however, Epic secured nearly everything it had asked for from the court. Last year, both Apple and Google asked the Supreme Court to review their respective cases with Epic. At that time, the court denied their requests without explanation. It remains uncertain if the justices will treat Google’s new plea differently. However, given the sweeping and structural changes Google would be forced to implement if the injunction moves forward, the court may be more inclined to intervene this time. The tech giant is hoping the Supreme Court will rescue it from a ruling that could fundamentally alter the Android app ecosystem.
