Alphabet Inc. suffered a legal setback after a U.S. appeals court upheld a 2023 jury verdict, according to Benzinga. The ruling found Google engaged in anticompetitive behavior in its Play Store, siding with Fortnite-maker Epic Games. U.S. District Judge James Donato ordered Google to allow rival app stores within the Play Store and grant competitors access to its app catalog. These reforms were on hold during the appeal but may still face further challenges in higher courts. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney praised the decision and confirmed plans to launch the Epic Games Store on Android. Google criticized the ruling as harmful to users and vowed to continue the appeal process.
