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Google Seeks Overturn of Epic Games Verdict in Antitrust Lawsuit

By  |  February 4, 2024

Alphabet’s Google is intensifying its legal battle against “Fortnite” maker Epic Games, as the tech giant filed a court motion on Thursday night urging US District Judge James Donato in San Francisco to either grant a new trial or issue judgment in its favor. This move comes in response to a jury verdict in December that found Google had abused its market dominance in managing rules for its app store, Google Play.

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    In the court filing, Google argued that Epic Games failed to present sufficient evidence to support the jury’s conclusion that Google’s control over the Play store was anticompetitive, reported Reuters.

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    The company contended that it competes vigorously with Apple in the mobile apps market and asserted that Epic should not have been allowed to argue otherwise. Epic Games initiated the antitrust lawsuit against Google in 2020, primarily focusing on the fees charged on transactions within apps and restrictions on app distribution. While Epic sought changes to Google Play, it did not pursue monetary damages.

    Related: Epic Games & Match To Bring New Antitrust Allegations Against Google

    Epic Games is anticipated to seek an order from Judge Donato, compelling specific changes to overhaul Google Play in line with the December verdict. However, if the judge rejects the motion for a new trial, Google still has the option to challenge the verdict in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The tech company has previously expressed its intention to appeal and has settled related claims from consumers and states for $700 million in the run-up to the trial. As part of the settlement, Google agreed to promote greater competition.

    This legal clash between Google and Epic Games mirrors a similar battle that Epic fought against Apple over the rules of its App Store. Although Apple largely prevailed in that case in 2021, it was compelled to make some alterations to its store policies.

    Epic Games, in a filing in January, contended that Apple had not fully complied with the changes, indicating its intent to once again seek court intervention in the ongoing dispute with the tech giant.

    Source: Reuters