SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Video game maker Epic Games has reached a “comprehensive settlement” with Google that could bring an end to its five-year legal battle targeting Google’s Play Store for Android apps.
Epic and Google announced the settlement agreement in a joint legal document filed Tuesday in a San Francisco federal court. The two companies stated that the agreement “would allow the parties to put their disputes aside while making Android a more vibrant and competitive platform for users and developers.”
Epic, the creator of the popular online game Fortnite, secured a significant victory this summer when a federal appeals court upheld a jury verdict condemning Google’s Android app store as an illegal monopoly. The unanimous ruling paved the way for a federal judge to implement potentially transformative changes designed to provide consumers with more choices.
While the specific terms of the settlement remain confidential and require approval from U.S. District Judge James Donato, the companies broadly outlined portions of their agreement in their joint filing. They indicated that the settlement closely follows Judge Donato’s October 2024 ruling, which ordered Google to dismantle the digital barriers that currently shield its Android app store from competition.
One notable provision of the ruling mandates that Google’s app store must allow the distribution of rival third-party app stores, enabling consumers to download alternative app platforms to their devices if they choose.
Google had hoped to reverse these changes through an appeal, but the July ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals dealt a significant legal setback to the tech giant. This is part of a series of antitrust challenges affecting various parts of Google’s vast internet business.
Epic Games initially filed lawsuits in 2020 against both Google’s Play Store and Apple’s iPhone app store in an effort to bypass exclusive payment processing systems that imposed commissions ranging from 15% to 30% on in-app transactions.
The newly proposed settlement would require Google to reduce those commissions to a range of 9% to 20%, depending on the type of transaction.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney described the settlement as an “awesome proposal” in a social media post.
A court hearing on the matter is scheduled for Thursday.
https://ktar.com/national-news/fortnite-maker-epic-games-and-google-say-theyre-settling-5-year-legal-fight-over-android-app-store/5770938/