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In a legal saga that could reshape the Android ecosystem, Epic Games has once again triumphed over tech giant Google. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a unanimous 2023 jury verdict declaring Google’s Play Store and its in-app payment system illegal monopolies. The ruling clears the path for sweeping changes in how apps are distributed and monetized on Android — a platform that, until now, has been tightly controlled by Google.
“Total victory in the Epic v Google appeal!” Epic CEO Tim Sweeney declared on X (formerly Twitter), as the court denied Google’s appeal and lifted a previous stay on the lower court’s permanent injunction. That injunction, issued by Judge James Donato in 2024, had called for Android to be opened up to third-party app stores. While most of that injunction was on hold pending appeal, today’s ruling removes that pause, putting the verdict into effect immediately.
The appellate opinion, authored by Judge M. Margaret McKeown, framed the legal battle not in Fortnite’s trademark “blazes of destruction,” but in terms of antitrust law and procedural integrity. And the consequences are profound: Android, once a walled garden for Google’s own app store, may now be forced to accept competitors on its home turf.
Epic is wasting no time. “Thanks to the verdict, the Epic Games Store for Android will be coming to the Google Play Store!” Sweeney announced, signaling a direct challenge to Google’s dominance.
Though Google plans to appeal to the Supreme Court, the tech landscape is already shifting. If the ruling holds, developers may gain unprecedented freedom to bypass Google's fees and restrictions — a tectonic shift in mobile app economics and user choice. Android may never be the same again.
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