A US judge has allowed the search giant to keep its app store closed pending the outcome of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals.
Following an order to open up the Play Store to allow for greater competition, Google was granted a stay of the injunction pending an appeal.
Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge James Donato ordered Google to make several changes to its app store for three years starting November 1, 2024.
These changes mean Google can’t prevent users from downloading third-party app stores or using in-app payment methods.
But following an appeal from the search giant, Donato granted a request to suspend the order so the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals could consider another request by Google to suspend the judge’s order.
The initial order stems from a landmark ruling in a legal battle between Google and Epic Games, which comes after Epic sued the search giant for blocking rivals and stifling competition. It was handed down three years later.
In December 2023, a court ruled in favor of Epic against Google, finding that the search giant had exclusive power over the Play Store and engaged in anticompetitive conduct.
Following Donato’s ruling earlier this month, LeeAnne Mulholland, Google’s vice president of regulation, said the ordered changes “put consumer privacy and security at risk and made it difficult for developers to promote their apps.” “and reduce competition on the device.”
“Ultimately, these changes will likely satisfy Epic, but will cause a variety of unintended consequences that will harm U.S. consumers, developers, and device manufacturers.”
In its motion for a delay, Google said there was “a significant risk” that the requested changes would not work properly or be achieved at scale by the November 1 deadline.
Mr. Donato granted a partial stay of the permanent injunction, pending the circuit court’s resolution of Google’s request for an injunction filed in the circuit court, but not related to contracts with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The court did not grant an injunction on certain parts of the judgment.
“For three years, ending November 1, 2027, Google will not pre-install the Android app distribution platform or any store other than the Google Play Store,” the original order said.
In his ruling Friday (October 18), Donato said this part of the injunction will not be stayed.
Google said in a statement that it was pleased with the decision to suspend “implementation of hazardous remedies” pending the outcome of further suspensions.
“These remedies threaten Google Play’s ability to provide a safe and secure experience, and we are committed to protecting the 100 million U.S. Android users, more than 500,000 U.S. developers, and our We look forward to continuing to advocate to protect the thousands of partners who benefit from our platform.”
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