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Analysts explain how the court ruling in the Epic-Apple case could affect Google. This could have major implications for the future of the Android ecosystem.
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Introduction
In a court ruling on Monday, a federal judge sided with Apple in its legal battle epic games the maker of the popular video game “Fortnite.”
The ruling means that “Fortnite” will remain unavailable on Apple’s App Store, at least for now. It’s a victory for Apple, but it could have far-reaching consequences for Google.
That’s because Google is embroiled in a similar legal battle with Epic Games. Like Apple, Google has removed “Fortnite” from its app store. And like Apple, Google is facing allegations that it abusing its power as a gatekeeper to the app ecosystem.
The court ruling in Apple’s favor is likely to give Google confidence in its own legal case against Epic Games. And that could have big implications for the future of the Android ecosystem.
What the ruling means for Apple
A federal judge on Monday ruled that Epic Games can proceed with its lawsuit against Apple, dealing a blow to the iPhone maker in its ongoing legal battle with the “Fortnite” publisher.
The ruling means that Epic will be able to argue in court that Apple’s App Store practices are anticompetitive. It’s a victory for Epic, which has been waging a public relations and legal campaign against Apple since August, when it introduced a direct payment feature in “Fortnite” that bypassed the App Store’s in-app purchase system.
Apple subsequently removed “Fortnite” from the App Store, and Epic filed suit, alleging antitrust violations.
The judge’s ruling could have far-reaching implications for both Apple and Google, which operates a similar app store on its Android platform. Here’s what analysts are saying about how the ruling could affect the two tech giants.
What the ruling means for Epic
On Monday, a federal judge ruled that Apple can continue to block Epic Games’ Fortnite from the App Store while the companies’ legal battle continues.
The ruling is a victory for Apple, but it’s far from the end of the story. The case will now move on to a trial, which is set to begin on May 3.
Epic Games has accused Apple of antitrust violations, and the trial will likely focus on whether Apple’s App Store policies are anticompetitive. If Epic Games is successful in proving that Apple’s policies are anticompetitive, it could have a major impact on the way Apple operates its App Store.
Analysts say that if Epic Games is successful in proving that Apple’s App Store policies are anticompetitive, it could have a major impact on the way Apple operates its App Store. Here’s how three analysts explained the potential impacts of the ruling:
1. It could force Apple to change its App Store policies
2. It could lead to more regulation of tech companies
3. It could benefit Google
1. It could force Apple to change its App Store policies
If Epic Games is successful in proving that Apple’s App Store policies are anticompetitive, it could force Apple to change those policies. This would be a major blow to Apple, which has long defended its App Store policies as necessary to protect consumers from malicious and low-quality apps.
2. It could lead to more regulation of tech companies
The Epic Games vs. Apple case could also lead to more regulation of tech companies. This would be a positive development for companies like Google and Facebook, which have long been criticized for their lack of regulation.
3. It could benefit Google
If the Epic Games vs. Apple case leads to more regulation of tech companies, it could benefit Google by leveling the playing field between Google and its rivals.
What the ruling means for Google
The federal judge in the Apple-Epic Games lawsuit ruled that Apple cannot retaliate against Epic Games for adding direct payment features to its popular “Fortnite” video game, dealing a major blow to the iPhone maker’s App Store policies.
The ruling could have far-reaching implications for other app developers and tech giant Google, which operates its own app store on Android devices.
Here’s what analysts say the ruling could mean for Google:
‘A big challenge for Google’
“This is a big challenge for Google,” Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a note to investors on Monday. “We believe Epic has set the table here to potentially put more pressure on Google around these issues.”
Ives said that if Epic is successful in its case against Apple, it could open the door for other developers to challenge Google’s policies. He said it was too early to tell how much of a threat this could be to Google’s business.
‘Incremental regulatory pressure’
RBC Capital Markets analyst Mark Mahaney said in a note to investors on Monday that the ruling adds “incremental regulatory pressure” on Google. He said it was “hard to overstate” how important the App Store is to Apple’s business.
Mahaney said that while he doesn’t expect an immediate impact on Google’s business, the ruling could put pressure on the company to make changes to its own app store policies.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the analysts agree that the Apple-Epic court ruling could have a negative effect on Google. All three believe that if Apple is successful in winning the case, it could set a precedent that would allow other companies to follow suit and file similar lawsuits against Google. This could lead to Google being forced to make changes to its business model, which could negatively impact its bottom line.
