Google has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop a lower court order that forces it to change the way its app store works.The request was filed on Wednesday and sent to Justice Elena Kagan.
According to the New York Times, the company wants the ruling paused while it appeals, warning that if the changes go into effect on October 22, its entire Android ecosystem will take a serious hit. In their words, the company and platform “will suffer irreparable harm.”
This all started with a case filed by Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, who accused Alphabet’s Google of blocking competition by locking developers into the Google Play Store and paying companies to keep it that way.
A jury agreed with Epic in December 2023, saying Google crossed the line by cutting secret deals with major phone makers and developers to stop them from using other app stores or billing tools. Following that verdict, Judge James Donato in San Francisco ruled that Google needed to open the gates and stop shutting out its rivals.
Google says Android will suffer if mandate kicks in
In July 2024, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals backed the jury and ruled that Google has to lift restrictions that block app developers from setting up their own marketplaces and payment systems. The court said developers deserve the right to run their businesses without being locked into Google’s ecosystem.
Google didn’t take it lightly. The company said the ruling would “significantly harm user safety” and “undermine innovation for Android.” Epic’s CEO, Tim Sweeney, responded by calling the decision a big win and said it would finally allow Epic to offer its Epic Games Store on Android through Google Play.
With Google now running to the highest court, it’s trying to freeze everything before that October deadline hits. The filing hasn’t shown up on the Supreme Court’s website, but the company’s message is clear: if the order isn’t blocked, Android users and developers are going to lose out—at least according to Google.
But this fight with Epic isn’t the only legal storm the company’s in. Google is also staring down another penalty in Europe, where regulators under the European Commission are preparing to hit the company with its first fine under the Digital Markets Act. The law took effect in 2023 and was built specifically to rein in Big Tech and give competitors a fair shot. It lays out what massive platforms can and cannot do. Break those rules, and companies can be fined up to 10% of global yearly revenue.
Google faces second EU penalty as Commission reviews case
The upcoming fine is separate from the €2.95 billion (about $3.45 billion) penalty Google already got earlier this month. That fine was for favoring its own display ad technology and giving its ad exchange, AdX, more power at the expense of rival ad services and publishers. But the next charge focuses on Google’s treatment of vertical search engines, specifically how Google Shopping, Google Flights, and Google Hotels were promoted over other travel and shopping platforms.
The complaint was first filed in March 2024. Since then, Google has submitted multiple proposals to try and fix things, but airline companies, hotel chains, retail sites, and comparison tools said nothing has really changed. The Commission isn’t commenting, but Google pointed to comments made earlier by its Senior Director for Competition, Oliver Bethell, who said, “While we have invited feedback throughout this process, we now need to bring this debate to an end without the interests of a few being prioritised over the millions of people and businesses in Europe who benefit from Search.”
Even with growing pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration over Europe’s crackdown on American tech, the EU Commission has no intention of stepping back. Officials say they’ll keep holding companies accountable, even if it stirs up more trade tension between the U.S. and the 27-nation bloc.
If the fine under the DMA moves forward, Google would become the third American tech company punished under the law—following Apple and Meta Platforms, who were both hit with penalties in April.
Disclaimer: The story “Google files with Supreme Court to delay Epic Games antitrust mandate” first appeared on Cryptopolitan and is syndicated via Digpu & NewsTex.