Google scored a small but important victory in its epic legal battle. Last week, the company asked Judge James Donato to suspend his Nov. 1 deadline to drastically change its Android App Store rules. Today, he did just that, Epic and Google confirm edge, Granting Google a temporary administrative hold on all but a limited portion of its judgment.
That means Google won’t have to open its Play Store for years while it appeals the ruling. In December, a jury unanimously decided that Google’s Android app store, the Play Store, constituted an illegal monopoly, though Google is now appealing that jury verdict and court order.
Technically, today’s temporary administrative stay turns the clock back a bit, long enough for the appeals court to grant a stay, but Judge Donato told the courtroom he doubted the Ninth Circuit would grant even that long. Turn off Google until Google appeals. The judge refused to grant Google much time.
However, Judge Donato did No Press pause on one particular area of his judgment, opening a crack at rival app stores For court documents. Google has been ordered not to enter into agreements with carriers or device makers that prevent pre-installation of competing app stores in exchange for cash, revenue share or incentives, which will run from November 1, 2024 to November 1, 2027.
Had Judge Donato left the original deadline, it would have allowed developers to stop using Google Play billing as early as November 1. Google is prohibited from using certain financial incentives to keep developers loyal to the store. Additionally, Google will begin an eight-month countdown to bringing third-party app marketplaces within its own Play Store. You can read the full list of changes Judge Donato incorporated into his permanent injunction here.
First, Judge Donato gave Google less than a month to open its App Store and Google argued The App Store should get the same 90 days Apple gets to make changes. (Google also argued that Epic, which filed both the Apple and Google lawsuits, did not object to the 90-day deadline.) With Judge Donato’s original deadline struck down, Google is likely to step aside, at least briefly, and start doing the same. The path Apple took to delay the removal of its anti-steering App Store rules for more than two years.
Had the stay not been imposed, Judge Donato’s ruling would have had almost immediate consequences not only for developers but also for consumers. For example, Microsoft said it would let people buy and play games on the Xbox Android app, and it said it would bring the Epic Games Store. For Google Play next year. Unless the Ninth Circuit denies the stay, those things could take years to happen.
Google says edge Today’s result is pleasing:
We are pleased with the district court’s decision to temporarily suspend enforcement Dangerous medicine Epic requested that the appellate court consider our request for a further stay of the settlement while we appeal. These remedies threaten Google Play’s ability to provide a safe and secure experience, and we look forward to continuing Make our case To protect the 100 million US Android users, over 500,000 US developers and thousands of partners who benefit from our platforms.
Epic declined to comment.
Correction, October 18: An earlier version of this story incorrectly suggested that Judge Donato had dropped the appeal entirely pending his Nov. 1 deadline. In fact, Donato decided not to pursue one particular area of his mandate: Google’s contracts with OEMs and carriers.
