On Wednesday, Google urged the Supreme Court to halt a lower court’s injunction mandating modifications to the Google Play Store, following a legal victory by Epic Games regarding App Store practices.
The tech giant has appealed to Judge Elena Kagan, who manages emergency requests from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals based in San Francisco, asking to temporarily suspend parts of the injunction.
In its filing, Google expressed concern that the lawsuit seeks a significant reevaluation of antitrust laws based on a request from a single private entity, potentially reshaping the entire Android ecosystem relied upon by over 100 million users in the U.S. and half a million app developers.
Epic Games filed its initial lawsuit against Google in 2020, alleging that the Play Store stifled competition. In 2023, judges in San Francisco ruled in favor of Epic.
A California judge subsequently issued an injunction in 2024, requiring Google to permit third-party app stores through the Play Store for a period of three years. Additionally, Google would need to allow alternative in-app payment methods aside from its own billing system.
The injunction also prohibits Google from incentivizing app developers or device manufacturers to restrict their apps to the Play Store or from preinstalling the App Store on devices. This injunction was confirmed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
On Wednesday, Google contended that Kagan should pause regulations that would compel developers to provide links to other payment options, share app catalogs, and facilitate the distribution of competing app stores.
As per the filing, the payment clause is scheduled to start in October, while the other two requirements are expected to take effect next summer.
Google warned that permitting developers to link to alternative payment methods could expose Android users to risks from malicious actors, including scammers and potential foreign intruders, jeopardizing sensitive user data.
Additionally, to meet the App Store catalog and distribution mandates, Google noted that “immediate design and engineering resources would be necessary.”
