Google urges US judge to overturn Epic Games antitrust verdict

Google’s antitrust lawsuit: Alphabet's Google has urged a US judge to overturn the jury verdict in the antitrust lawsuit filed by Epic Games, the creator of "Fortnite." Google, in a court filing on Thursday night, requested US District Judge James Donato in San Francisco to either grant a new trial or issue a judgment in its favour.

The filing contends that Epic Games did not present sufficient evidence to support the jury's December verdict, which found Google's control over its Play store to be anti-competitive. Google argued that it competes vigorously with Apple in the mobile apps market and asserted that Epic should not have been permitted to argue otherwise.

Epic Games filed a lawsuit against Google in 2020, challenging the fees imposed on transactions within apps and restrictions on app distribution within the Play Store. While Epic sought changes to the Play Store, it did not seek monetary damages.

If Judge Donato rejects the request for a new trial, Google retains the option to challenge the December verdict in the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, as the company has already expressed its intent to appeal. Leading up to the trial, Google settled related claims from consumers and states for $700 million and committed to fostering greater competition.

Epic Games had previously sued Apple over its App Store rules, with the legal battle largely favouring Apple in 2021. However, Apple was compelled to make some adjustments to its store. In a January filing, Epic stated that Apple had not fully complied, indicating its intention to seek court intervention again.

In its recent filing, Google argued that it should have been allowed to reference the outcome of Epic's lawsuit against Apple as part of its defence.