Last week, Epic Games and Google ended their lengthy legal dispute by arriving at a settlement. This legal contention, which initiated in August 2024, focused on allegations that Google breached antitrust regulations under the Sherman Act. Judge Amit Mehta had earlier decided that Google behaved like a monopolist to sustain its supremacy. The settlement agreement, which Google had contested, includes Google lowering its standard purchase fee to either 9 or 20 percent, depending on the type of transaction.

Alongside the fee reduction, Judge Donato issued a permanent injunction favoring Epic Games. This injunction requires Google to permit access to competing app stores within the Google Play Store and allow these platforms to offer the full array of Google Play apps. Additionally, Google must stop mandating developers to utilize Google Play Billing, after a court ruling determined that the company had illegally connected its app store to its payment system. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney praised Google for its proposal, emphasizing its conformity with Android’s vision as an open platform.

Nonetheless, the settlement has met a new hurdle. Judge James Donato has put the agreement on hold to guarantee public transparency, noting that the proposal might not meet the criteria needed to alter an existing court ruling. According to US law, substantial changes in circumstances, such as shifts in market conditions or alterations in company policy, are required for a modification. Judge Donato commented on the unexpected collaboration between Epic and Google, who were formerly rivals, and expressed worries about Google’s previous appeals hindering the ruling, enabling the company to persist in its “anti-competitive” behaviors.

Epic Games and Google aimed to keep the settlement specifics private, but Judge Donato dismissed this request, emphasizing the importance of transparency. Although the settlement is currently suspended, both parties seem eager to finalize their protracted legal battle.