Google doesn't have to open its Play Store to rivals
Google has been given a temporary reprieve in its ongoing legal battle with Epic Games, over alleged monopolistic practices concerning its Android app store. The tech giant had asked Judge James Donato in the US, to postpone his November 1 deadline for major changes to the Play Store rules. The request was granted, possibly giving Google years to continue its current practices during the appeal process. It need not open its app store to rivals anytime soon.
Appeals against monopoly verdict and court order
In December, a US jury unanimously ruled that Google's Play Store had become an illegal monopoly. Now, the tech giant is appealing both this verdict and the court's subsequent order. The temporary stay granted by Judge Donato only delays the enforcement of these changes, until an appeals court can consider a longer stay. However, Donato reportedly expressed his belief that the Ninth Circuit will likely approve this extended stay as well.
Potential implications of the original deadline
If the original deadline had stayed, developers could have stopped using Google's Play Billing from November 1. This would have also prevented Google from providing certain financial incentives to keep developers loyal to its store. Additionally, it would have started an eight-month countdown for Google to bring third-party app marketplaces within its own Play Store. Now, these changes are on hold with Judge Donato's temporary stay.
Google's response to the temporary stay
In response to the temporary stay, Google expressed its satisfaction with the decision. The company said that it looks forward to continuing its case to protect over 100 million US Android users, more than 500,000 US developers, as well as thousands of partners who have benefited from its platforms. Epic Games has not yet commented on this development.
Google's arguments for delaying the order
Google argued it wasn't given enough time to implement the drastic changes, calling it "a Herculean task creating an unacceptable risk of safety and security failures within the Android ecosystem." The company also argued these changes would put unreasonable costs on it. However, Judge Donato rejected this argument during Friday's hearing, saying compared to its annual Play Store profits, any expenses incurred by Google would be negligible.
