Google has filed a request with a federal judge in California to halt a recent court order requiring it to open the Play Store to more competition.
In the lawsuit, Google argued that the injunction issued by U.S. District Judge James Donato, set to take effect on November 1, would negatively impact the company and increase risks related to safety, security, and privacy in the Android ecosystem.
Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, asked Judge Donato to suspend the order while the company continues to pursue an appeal.
The judge issued the order on October 7 in a case brought by Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite. Epic convinced a federal jury last year that Google illegally monopolizes how consumers download apps on Android devices, as well as how they pay for in-app transactions.
The judge’s directives require Google to allow users to download competing Android app platforms or stores, and it cannot block the use of competing payment methods within the app.
Furthermore, the order prohibits Google from paying hardware manufacturers to pre-install its app store, or sharing revenues from the Play Store with other app distributors.
If Judge Donato decides not to suspend the injunction, Google will ask the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, based in San Francisco, to take similar action while it appeals the original antitrust ruling by the federal jury.
Google has filed a notice of appeal with the Ninth Circuit, and the Appeals Court is expected to review Google’s challenge to Judge Donato’s order and issue a ruling on it later.
