Google requests emergency pause on Epic decision, cites ‘dangerous’ implications

Google

In a surprising move, Google has urged the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to pause the District Court order in its legal battle with Epic Games. Google said that it wants to protect “100 million US Android users, over 500,000 US developers and thousands of partners from a harmful and unwarranted District Court order.”

According to a report by The Verge, Google said that if the order is allowed to stand then it threatens Google Play’s ability to provide a safe and trusted user experience, thereby undermining the Android ecosystem’ss ability to compete with Apple’s iOS. “This wouldn’t just hurt Google, this would have negative consequences for Android users, developers and device manufacturers who have built thriving businesses on Android,” said the company.

Last week Judge James Donato ruled that Google’s Play Store is an illegal monopoly and order the company to open it to third-party app stores. This had sparked fear that Google will be forced to break up its Android ecosystem.

Google argued Android users have always been able to download and use third-party app stores, but when they come to Google Play, they have an expectation of the security, privacy and content protections that will apply. “Forcing Google to distribute third-party app stores through Google Play will cause confusion as to whether Google is vouching for those app stores and raises real risk for our users,” said Google.

Google said that it had earned developers’ trust over the years but the District Court order would allow any rival Android app store to offer Google Play’s full catalog of apps. “This harms businesses who don’t want their apps or intellectual property associated with unknown stores or alongside inappropriate content,” Google said in a fact sheet.

One of Epic Games’ biggest gripe has been Google Play’s billing system. Google — like Apple — charges a commission on all in-app transactions, something Epic has vociferously objected to. Judge Donato ordered Google to stop requiring Google Play Billing for apps distributed on the Google Play Store.

“When users choose Play’s billing, they trust us to provide a seamless refund process, easy subscription management, and other forms of customer support for their in-app digital goods,” said Google.

Google also said that the District Court’s order to make these changes by November 1 is unfair. “Rushed updates at this scale can lead to major unintended issues that affect functionality of devices, the privacy and security interests of millions of users, and the business success of device manufacturers and developers,” noted Google.