Google asked courts to pause parts of the injunction in Epic Games’ antitrust case, arguing that the requirements posed security risks. The Ninth Circuit denied Google’s request to stay the injunction’s mandate. Google later asked the U.S. Supreme Court for a partial stay, but its certiorari petition was dismissed after Google and Epic jointly asked to end the case. Google says the companies reached a settlement and requested a revised injunction; its public policy page does not establish that the district court entered that revised order.
Which emergency stay did Google seek?
There were two distinct stay-related steps. On September 12, 2025, the Ninth Circuit denied Google’s request to stay the mandate enforcing the district court’s injunction. On September 24, Google then filed an application with the Supreme Court asking for a partial stay while it pursued a petition for review. The Supreme Court application was a request to pause obligations, not an order granting Google a pause. Read the Ninth Circuit’s order and Google’s Supreme Court application.
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What the Supreme Court application sought to pause
Google asked the Supreme Court to stay injunction paragraphs 11 and 12 in full, and paragraphs 9 and 10 to the extent they required linkouts. It sought relief before the relevant remedies were scheduled to take effect. In its filing, Google said the injunction could affect more than 100 million U.S. users and more than 500,000 app developers. Those numbers describe Google’s characterization of the affected population in its application; they are not independent measurements or findings by the court.
Why Google called the injunction dangerous
Google’s security case was a prediction about the effects of the injunction, not a court finding that the requirements were dangerous. Google argued that requirements involving third-party app-store catalog access and distribution could make it harder to screen app stores and apps, creating security and safety risks. Those are Google’s claims in its stay application.
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- Gift card must be redeemed at EpicGames.com/redeem. This gift card WILL NOT work if redeemed directly on a console device (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, etc.)
- If you play Fortnite experiences on a console device, you need to link your Epic Games account to your console account(s) so items purchased at Fortnite.com/item-shop appear across all of your linked accounts
- Requires internet connection, valid Epic account and prior acceptance of the terms
- Redemption: Online
The Ninth Circuit took a different view of the protections in the injunction. Its September 12, 2025 order said: “In addition, the Injunction provides for a Technical Committee to assist in resolving technical disputes, including security concerns.” The court also concluded that Google’s claimed irreparable harm was unfounded in light of trial testimony and that Google had not satisfied the requirements for a stay of the mandate. The Ninth Circuit order describes the court’s reasoning.
What happened in the case
| Date | Procedural step | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| October 7, 2024 | The district court issued the permanent injunction, according to the Ninth Circuit’s later order. | This was the injunction Google subsequently sought to pause. |
| October 26, 2024 | The DOJ case page lists a brief by the United States and FTC on Google’s emergency motion for a partial stay, supporting neither party. | The brief was part of the earlier district-court-stage stay proceedings. See the DOJ case page. |
| September 12, 2025 | The Ninth Circuit denied Google’s stay-of-mandate request, upheld the jury’s antitrust finding and the injunction, and modified some compliance deadlines. | The order followed a 15-day jury trial with 45 witnesses and additional district-court proceedings, as the Ninth Circuit described them. |
| September 24, 2025 | Google filed its Supreme Court application for a partial stay pending a certiorari petition. | This was a separate, later request from the stay request denied by the Ninth Circuit. |
| October 27, 2025 | Google filed its petition for a writ of certiorari. | The petition asked the Supreme Court to review the case. The docket records the filing and subsequent events. View Supreme Court docket No. 25-521. |
Why the Supreme Court dismissal was not a decision on the merits
On March 5, 2026, Google and Epic filed a joint stipulation to dismiss Google’s certiorari petition. The Supreme Court docket records that the petition was dismissed under Rule 46 on March 9. That was a dismissal following the parties’ stipulation, not a Supreme Court ruling that resolved the merits of Google’s appeal. The docket records the stipulation and dismissal.
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- Redeemable on accounts in the United States and in U.S. Dollars.
- Gift card must be redeemed at EpicGames.com/redeem. This gift card WILL NOT work if redeemed directly on a console device (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, etc.)
- If you play Fortnite experiences on a console device, you need to link your Epic Games account to your console account(s) so items purchased at Fortnite.com/item-shop appear across all of your linked accounts
- Requires internet connection, valid Epic account and prior acceptance of the terms
- Redemption: Online
What Google says the settlement changed
Google says it and Epic entered a new settlement agreement on March 4, 2026, and asked the district court to enter a revised modified injunction. Google’s U.S. Play policy page describes developer-policy and app-store program changes associated with the settlement and injunction process. As of October 4, 2026, that page does not establish that the district court has entered the revised injunction, so the company’s account of the settlement request should not be treated as confirmation that a new court order is in force. Google’s U.S. developer policy update.
For developers using external-content links, Google’s policy page gives December 1, 2026 as the deadline to report successful downloads and pay relevant service fees. This is a date and requirement stated on Google’s policy page as of October 4, 2026; it is not itself proof that the district court entered the requested revised injunction.
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- An Epic Games account is required to redeem an Epic Games Store Card code
- If playing on a console platform (PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Nintendo Switch or Mobile) you need to link your Epic Games account to that gaming platform (one time) to redeem your gift card code
- The 16 digit code on the back of the card WILL NOT work if redeemed directly through your gaming platform (PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Nintendo Switch, Mobile, etc.)
- Note: Nintendo devices do not support Fortnite Shared Wallet, so V-Bucks purchased using your account balance will not show up on your Nintendo device. However, if you purchase items in the web Item Shop — or another platform where you play Fortnite — those items will be available in your Locker across all platforms.
- Redemption: Online
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- An Epic Games account is required to redeem an Epic Games Store Card code
- If playing on a console platform (PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Nintendo Switch or Mobile) you need to link your Epic Games account to that gaming platform (one time) to redeem your gift card code
- The 16 digit code on the back of the card WILL NOT work if redeemed directly through your gaming platform (PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Nintendo Switch, Mobile, etc.)
- Note: Nintendo devices do not support Fortnite Shared Wallet, so V-Bucks purchased using your account balance will not show up on your Nintendo device. However, if you purchase items in the web Item Shop — or another platform where you play Fortnite — those items will be available in your Locker across all platforms.
- Redemption: Online
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- Redeemable on accounts in the United States and in U.S. Dollars.
- Gift card must be redeemed at EpicGames.com/redeem. This gift card WILL NOT work if redeemed directly on a console device (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, etc.)
- If you play Fortnite experiences on a console device, you need to link your Epic Games account to your console account(s) so items purchased at Fortnite.com/item-shop appear across all of your linked accounts
- Requires internet connection, valid Epic account and prior acceptance of the terms
- Redemption: Online
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