By Mike Scarcella
(Reuters) – Google has asked a U.S. judge not to impose sweeping changes to its Alphabet (NASDAQ:) unit’s App Store Play that were proposed by “Fortnite” maker Epic Games in the closely watched corporate antitrust battles.
Google filed its filing late Thursday in San Francisco federal court, where Epic convinced a jury last year that the tech giant unlawfully suppressed competition with its control over app downloads on Android devices and payments to developers for in- app transactions.
Epic’s proposal “would make it nearly impossible for Google to compete,” Google’s filing said.
The gaming company in March asked U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco to force Google to make it easier for users to download apps from other sources and to give developers more flexibility in offering and charging for purchases.
The Cary, North Carolina-based company also said it should be able to bring its Epic Games Store to Android “without delays and barriers.”
A hearing on the proposed ban is scheduled for May 23.
Epic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Wilson White, Google’s head of government affairs and public policy, said in a statement that “Epic’s demands would harm the privacy, security and overall experience of consumers, developers and device manufacturers.”
In its filing, Google said a related Play Store settlement with states and consumers made Epic’s bid for an injunction unnecessary. The remedies in that settlement, Google said, “fully address” the alleged anticompetitive conduct Epic presented at trial.
In December, Google agreed to pay $700 million to resolve the states’ case and will allow more alternative billing options for in-app purchases, among other reforms.
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In another, even more far-reaching antitrust case, Google moved Thursday to settle litigation arguments with the Justice Department and a group of states in a Washington, D.C., courtroom over claims that it unfairly dominates the mobile Internet market.
