"They said it "would allow the parties to put their disputes aside while making Android a more vibrant and competitive platform for users and developers." Epic, which makes the hit online game Fortnite, won a victory over the summer when a federal appeals court upheld a jury verdict condemning Google's Android app store as an illegal monopoly. The unanimous ruling cleared the way for a federal judge to enforce a potentially disruptive shake-up that's designed to give consumers more choices."
"The specific terms of the settlement agreement remain under seal and must be approved by U.S. District Judge James Donato, but the two companies broadly outlined some of their agreements in their joint filing. They said the settlement closely follows Donato's October 2024 ruling ordering Google to tear down the digital walls shielding its Android app store from competition."
"Google had hoped to void those changes with an appeal, but the ruling issued in July by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a legal blow for the tech giant, which has been waylaid in three separate antitrust trials affecting different pillars of its internet empire. Epic Games filed lawsuits targeting Google's Play Store as well as Apple's iPhone app store in 2020 in an attempt to bypass exclusive payment processing systems that charged 15% to 30% commissions on in-app transactions."
Epic Games and Google filed a joint legal notice announcing a comprehensive settlement that could end a five-year legal battle over Android app distribution. The settlement, subject to approval by U.S. District Judge James Donato, generally follows Donato's October 2024 order to dismantle barriers protecting Google Play from competitors. The agreement includes provisions to allow distribution of rival third-party app stores on Android devices so users can download them. The settlement follows appellate and Supreme Court developments that cleared the way for enforcement of changes after courts found Google's Play Store practices unlawful. Specific terms remain under seal.
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