Apple, Epic Games, App Store, lawsuit, court order, antitrust, developers, payment options, digital purchases, technology industry, legal dispute
Apple denied any wrongdoing in a California federal court on Friday, rebuffing claims of violating a court order related to its App Store in the ongoing legal battle with “Fortnite” developer Epic Games.
The tech giant made its stance clear in a filing to U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who has been overseeing Epic’s 2020 lawsuit alleging antitrust violations by Apple. Epic accused Apple of overly controlling app distribution and in-app purchases.
In its filing, Apple criticized what it described as Epic’s attempt to gain access to its tools and technologies without cost. It accused Epic of seeking to overly influence Apple’s business operations for its own gain.
Epic Games declined to offer a comment, while Apple did not immediately respond to requests for input on the matter.
Though Epic largely lost its case against Apple, Judge Rogers did order Apple to grant developers more leeway in directing users to alternative payment methods for digital products.
Despite this ruling, Epic alleged that Apple was blatantly disregarding the court’s injunction, citing a 27% fee on certain developer purchases and restrictions on informing users about alternative payment options.
Other tech entities including Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Elon Musk’s X, and Match Group have echoed Epic’s concerns, asserting that Apple is violating the court’s order.
A similar case brought by Epic against Alphabet’s Google is also underway, with a separate injunction expected to affect the Google Play Store.
The legal battle between Epic Games and Apple continues under the case name Epic Games Inc v Apple Inc in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California.
