Google faces a major blow in a lawsuit filed by Epic Games, the parent company of video game Fortnite, in the US Court.
According to BBC, the US federal judge James Donato on Monday, October 7, 2024, ordered the tech giant to allow the Android apps of the rival firms on its Google Play app store for three years, effective from November.
Google stated, “The changes would put consumers’ privacy and security at risk, make it harder for developers to promote their apps, and reduce competition on devices.”
The IT corporation said it would appeal the decision and would ask the court to halt its orders until the hearing on the appeal.
Meanwhile, numerous legal experts, including Mark Lemley, professor at Stanford Law School, praised the decision by the US Court as a much-needed challenge to the technology giants.
Lemley noted, “That isn't something antitrust law would normally require. But the judge correctly noted that once you have violated the antitrust laws, courts can order you to do affirmative things to undo the harm you caused, even though you didn't have the obligation to do those things in the first place."
To note, the jury also sided with Epic Games back in December 2023 when it accused Google of controlling the distribution of apps and payments on Android phones.
