Google and Epic withdraw injunction motion | Third-party store remedies start July 22
TL;DR
Google and Epic withdrew their motion; third-party store remedies start July 22 without a named store launch.
Google and Epic Games jointly withdrew their motion to modify a permanent injunction in a rare reversal. Google must therefore implement the third-party Android app-store remedies in the original October 2024 order. A jury had found that Google Play maintained an illegal monopoly in Android app distribution and billing.
The brief joint filing said Google is prepared to launch the remedies in paragraphs 11 and 12 on July 22. Those paragraphs bar Google from prohibiting distribution of third-party Android app stores through Google Play and require access to the Play app catalog for qualifying third-party stores.
The date does not mean a named store has been approved. The injunction does not order Google to place the Epic Games Store, Microsoft's Xbox store, or any specified platform in Google Play on July 22. Google has opened the Play Catalog Access Program with a $5,000 annual review fee. US developers' app listings will be supplied to participating stores by default, with an opt-out.
Google spokesperson Dan Jackson said the companies withdrew the motion to avoid prolonging a process that creates ecosystem uncertainty and that Google continues to comply with the US injunction. CourtListener identifies the appeal as No. 24-6256, originating from the Northern District of California.
via Android Authority / The Verge / CourtListener
The brief joint filing said Google is prepared to launch the remedies in paragraphs 11 and 12 on July 22. Those paragraphs bar Google from prohibiting distribution of third-party Android app stores through Google Play and require access to the Play app catalog for qualifying third-party stores.
The date does not mean a named store has been approved. The injunction does not order Google to place the Epic Games Store, Microsoft's Xbox store, or any specified platform in Google Play on July 22. Google has opened the Play Catalog Access Program with a $5,000 annual review fee. US developers' app listings will be supplied to participating stores by default, with an opt-out.
Google spokesperson Dan Jackson said the companies withdrew the motion to avoid prolonging a process that creates ecosystem uncertainty and that Google continues to comply with the US injunction. CourtListener identifies the appeal as No. 24-6256, originating from the Northern District of California.
via Android Authority / The Verge / CourtListener
