Fortnite maker Epic Games and Google say they’re settling 5-year legal fight over Android app store

SAN FRANCISCO AP Video competition maker Epic Games has reached a comprehensive settlement with Google that could end its -year-old legal crusade targeting Google s Play Store for Android apps Epic and Google revealed the settlement agreement in a joint legal document they filed in a San Francisco federal court Tuesday They stated it would allow the parties to put their disputes aside while making Android a more vibrant and competitive platform for users and developers Epic which makes the hit online championship Fortnite won a success over the summer when a federal appeals court upheld a jury verdict condemning Google s Android app store as an illegal monopoly The unanimous ruling cleared the way for a federal judge to enforce a potentially disruptive shake-up that s designed to give consumers more choices Google took another hit in October when the U S Supreme Court refused to protect it from the judge s required app store makeover Related Articles Gemini AI to transform Google Maps into a more conversational experience Meta slumps on AI spending echoing metaverse rout Largest part Trump ballroom donors have federal contracts including Apple Meta and Microsoft watchdog Says Ex-cybersecurity staffers charged with moonlighting as hackers Big Tesla investor will vote against Musk s massive pay package The specific terms of the settlement agreement remain under seal and must be approved by U S District Judge James Donato but the two companies broadly outlined various of their agreements in their joint filing They reported the settlement closely follows Donato s October ruling ordering Google to tear down the digital walls shielding its Android app store from competition That included a provision that will require its app store to distribute rival third-party app stores so consumers can download them to their phones if they so desire Google had hoped to void those changes with an appeal but the ruling issued in July by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a legal blow for the tech giant which has been waylaid in three separate antitrust trials affecting different pillars of its internet empire Epic Games filed lawsuits targeting Google s Play Store as well as Apple s iPhone app store in in an attempt to find a way around special payment processing systems that charged to commissions on in-app transactions The settlement agreement proposed Tuesday calls for Google to limit those payments to between and depending on the transaction Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called the settlement an awesome proposal in a social media post Sameer Samat president of Google s Android division explained it will focus on expanding developer choice and flexibility lowering fees and encouraging more competition all while keeping users safe Google had previously complained that Donato s forcing of more app store competition posed assurance concerns A hearing is set for Thursday