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Apple retorted Tuesday in its legal battle with Fortnite creator Epic Games, filing a response and counterclaims alleging the game company violated its contract with Apple and seeking an unspecified amount in damages.
“The Epic lawsuit is nothing more than a basic disagreement over money, “Apple said in a filing in District Court for the Northern District of California.” Although Epic presents itself as a modern corporate Robin Hood, in reality it is a multi-million dollar company that just doesn’t want to pay anything for the tremendous value it gets from the App Store. “
The dispute between Apple and Epic Games began on August 13, when Epic Games posted a version of Fortnite on the Apple App Store that included a method for users to pay for in-game content without giving Apple its usual 30 cut. %. Apple removed the app from the App Store and Epic Games sued Apple later that day.
Apple followed up with the suspension of the Epic Games developer account on August 28, which prevents the company from creating new apps or updating Fortnite on Apple platforms.
Apple is now going one step further, asking the court to hold Epic accountable for breach of contract and other charges, requesting restitution of all money Fortnite collected through its payment system, and requesting a permanent injunction banning its mechanism. external payment in all applications, including Fortnite.
Apple’s response suggests that Epic took it by surprise, and even notes that Epic executives “recognized and thank Apple for its support and promotion of Fortnite events” in April 2020.
“Unbeknownst to Apple, Epic had been busy recruiting a legion of lawyers, publicists, and technicians to orchestrate a sneaky assault on the App Store. Shortly after 2:00 am on August 13, 2020, the morning Epic would activate its hidden commission theft feature, Sweeney again emailed Apple executives, stating that ‘Epic is no longer will adhere to Apple’s payment processing restrictions. ‘”
Apple said at the presentation that Epic Games has earned more than $ 600 million from the App Store.
Epic Games has argued that Apple is suppressing free market competition and has requested a preliminary injunction that would return Fortnite to the App Store and restore its developer account. A hearing is currently scheduled for the end of this month, although the dates could change.
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