The US District Judge James Donato has granted Google‘s request to temporarily pause his order that would require the tech giant to modify its Android app store, Play, by 1 November 2024, Reuters reports.
The latest development is part of an ongoing antitrust lawsuit filed by Epic Games, the developer of “Fortnite.”
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Google had recently approached the California federal court, seeking to halt the injunction that mandates increased competition within its Play app store.
The company expressed concerns that the injunction could introduce “serious safety, security and privacy risks into the Android ecosystem.”
Judge Donato’s decision to delay the injunction allows the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals time to consider Google’s request to further pause the order. However, Donato denied Google’s separate request to pause the order for the duration of its broader appeal in the case.
In response to the ruling, Google stated, “We’re pleased with the District Court’s decision to temporarily pause the implementation of dangerous remedies demanded by Epic, as the Court of Appeal considers our request to further pause the remedies while we appeal.”
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By GlobalDataEpic Games labelled the ruling as a procedural step and criticised Google’s appeal as “meritless,” accusing the company of using “fearmongering and unsubstantiated security threats” to maintain control over Android devices.
The lawsuit’s backdrop involves a jury verdict from last year, which found Google guilty of monopolising app downloads and in-app transactions on Android devices.
The judge’s order, which is now temporarily paused, embraced several recommendations by Epic, including allowing third-party Android app platforms or stores within Play and the use of competing in-app payment methods.
The order also prohibited Google from making payments to device manufacturers for preinstalling its app store and from sharing Play store revenue with other app distributors.
Google has already appealed the jury’s antitrust findings to the 9th Circuit, maintaining that it cannot be considered a monopolist due to competition from Apple’s App Store, and argued that the injunction would unlawfully force it to conduct business with rivals.
