A federal judge in California has granted Google’s request to temporarily suspend an order mandating major changes to its Android app store, Play, in response to an antitrust lawsuit filed by Google. fortnite Creator, Epic Games. The decision was made Friday by U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco, delaying implementation of the overhaul until Nov. 1 to allow time for further legal review.
The Oct. 7 injunction asked Google to provide more options for consumers to download software, but Google said implementing the changes would pose significant safety, security, and security risks to the Android ecosystem. They argued that it could pose a privacy risk. The judge’s decision allows the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review Google’s request for a separate injunction. But Judge Donato declined to put the order on hold pending Google’s extensive appeals.
Google expressed relief at the suspension, saying, “The Court of Appeals considers our request to further suspend the relief while we appeal, thereby eliminating the risky relief Epic requested.” “We are satisfied with the district court’s decision to suspend implementation of the measure.”
In contrast, Epic dismissed the ruling as merely procedural and accused Google of using fear-mongering and baseless security threats to protect its control over Android devices.
In the Epic case, a jury found that Google illegally monopolized the way consumers downloaded apps and made in-app purchases on Android devices. Judge Donato’s order included several of Epic’s proposed remedies based on the ruling.
The order required Google to allow users to access third-party app stores through the Play Store and enable alternative in-app payment methods. It also prohibited Google from paying device manufacturers to pre-install its app store and from sharing Play Store revenue with other app distributors.
Google has appealed the jury’s antitrust findings, arguing that the Play Store competes directly with Apple’s App Store and contesting its claim that it has exclusive rights.
