Judge James Donato of the California State Court issued a final ruling in the case where Epic Games won against Google for app store restrictions. Previously, the court required Epic Games to specify their claims and had Google calculate the costs incurred if the claims were followed. The previous court stance aimed to dismantle the app store walled garden.
The court order mandates Google to allow the Google Play Store to support third-party apps for a period of 3 years, effective from November 1, 2024, to November 1, 2027. During this time, the store can operate on the Google Play system, and the store can access the app catalog in Google Play.
Details of the order require Google to:
– Cease enforcing Google Pay Billing for payments through the Play Store
– Enable Android app developers to inform users of alternative payment methods within the Play Store
– Allow developers to insert download links for apps outside the Play Store
– Enable developers to set prices for apps that do not have to adhere to the Play Store pricing system
Google is prohibited from:
– Sharing revenue with third-party app providers for Android
– Paying or making offers to app developers to make their app exclusive to the Play Store or prioritize it over others
– Paying or making offers to app developers to prevent their apps from being listed in rival stores
– Paying or making offers to app developers for pre-installing apps
– Paying or making offers to app developers to prevent their apps from being installed on rival devices first
The court stated that Google can enhance measures for security in store usage and can charge related fees for managing these measures. Google and Epic Games are instructed to form a joint committee to assess technical details within 8 months.
The ruling in this case did not fulfill all of Epic Games’ claims, such as the proposed 6-year effective period, as the court settled on 3 years to prevent undue prejudice against Google. Epic requested direct app downloads from a single click or for Google to cease using Android API with Google Play.
TLDR: Judge James Donato has ruled in favor of Epic Games against Google, requiring changes to the Google Play Store for third-party app support for 3 years.
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