In a landmark 2023 victory, Epic Games accused Google of unlawfully suppressing competition on Android platforms, sparking ongoing legal battles.
Published On 25 Sep 2025
Google has petitioned the United States Supreme Court to suspend critical elements of a federal judge’s directive that mandates significant modifications to its Play Store app marketplace. This move comes as Google prepares to challenge a ruling in the lawsuit initiated by Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite.
In a recent submission, Alphabet’s subsidiary described the judge’s injunction as unprecedented, warning that enforcing it would damage Google’s reputation and place the company at a competitive disadvantage.
Epic Games launched its legal battle against Google in 2020, accusing the tech giant of monopolizing the distribution and payment processing of apps on Android devices, thereby violating U.S. antitrust statutes. The case culminated in a 2023 jury verdict favoring Epic in San Francisco.
The injunction, issued by U.S. District Judge James Donato, compels Google to permit users to install alternative app stores through the Play Store and to share its app catalog with competitors. Additionally, it requires Google to allow developers to embed external payment links within their apps, enabling users to circumvent Google’s billing system.
Google’s Supreme Court filing highlights the sweeping impact these changes would have on over 100 million Android users in the U.S. and half a million developers. The company has requested a ruling by October 17 on whether to pause the enforcement of the order.
Google intends to submit its formal appeal to the Supreme Court by October 27, potentially prompting the justices to consider the case during their upcoming term starting October 6.
Epic Games has yet to issue a public statement regarding the latest developments.
The jury’s decision affirmed that Google unlawfully hindered competition, leading Judge Donato to mandate reforms to the Play Store’s operations.
Google continues to deny any illegal conduct.
In July, a three-judge panel from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld the injunction, citing extensive evidence that Google’s anti-competitive practices solidified its market dominance.
Subsequently, the full Ninth Circuit declined Google’s request for a rehearing on September 12.
Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, lauded the Ninth Circuit’s ruling on social media, expressing optimism that both developers and consumers will soon reap the benefits.
Beyond this case, Google is also confronting multiple lawsuits from government bodies, consumers, and businesses challenging its search engine and advertising operations.
On the financial markets, Alphabet’s shares were trading lower, down 0.75% as of 10:30 a.m. in New York (14:30 GMT).
