Battle for App Stores: Google’s Stand Against Epic Games’ Proposed Overhaul

Google has asked a U.S. judge not to impose major changes to Alphabet unit App Store Play that were proposed by “Fortnite” maker Epic Games in a closely watched antitrust battle between the companies. Google made its filing late Thursday in federal court in San Francisco, where Epic told a jury last year that the tech giant illegally stifled competition with its restrictions on payments to developers for app downloads and in-app transactions on Android devices.

Epic’s proposal “would make it nearly impossible for Google to compete,” Google’s filing said.

The gaming company announced in March that the US District Judge James Donato in San Francisco asked Google to make it easier for users to download apps from other sources and to give developers more flexibility in offering and charging for purchases. The Cary, North Carolina-based company also said it should be allowed to bring its Epic Games Store to Android “without delay or obstacles.”

A hearing on the proposed injunction is scheduled for May 23.

Epic did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Wilson White, Google’s head of government affairs and public policy, said in a statement that “Epic’s demands will harm the privacy, security and overall experience of consumers, developers and device manufacturers.” In its filing, Google said related Play Store settlements with states and consumers made Epic’s bid for an injunction unnecessary. The remedies in that settlement, Google said, “fully address” the alleged anticompetitive conduct Epic presented at trial. In December, Google agreed to pay $700 million to settle the states’ case and will allow more alternative billing options for in-app purchases, among other improvements. In another far-reaching antitrust case, Google on Thursday closed trial arguments in a Washington, DC courtroom with the Justice Department and a group of states claiming it unfairly dominates the market for mobile web searches.