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Topline
A judge ruled Friday that Apple does not have to allow Fortnite to return to the App Store as its developer, Epic Games, sues the tech giant, an initial victory for Apple as the high-stakes legal battle over the App Store.
Child sits on pillows outside during the 2019 Fortnite World Cup Finals – Second Round on July 27, 2019, … [+]
Key facts
Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store in August after Epic Games intentionally circumvented Apple’s mandatory 30% fee, claiming in a lawsuit that Apple’s App Store policies are anti-competitive.
US District Judge Yvonnne Gonzalez Rogers was not convinced that Fortnite should be allowed on the App Store as long as it breaks Apple’s rules. “Epic Games cannot simply exclaim ‘monopoly’ to rewrite agreements that give themselves a unilateral benefit,” he said.
However, Epic Games scored a victory because the judge also ruled that Apple cannot ban the Unreal Engine, which is also owned by Epic Games.
“We are grateful that the court has recognized that Epic’s actions were not in the best interest of its own customers and that any problems they may have encountered were created by themselves when they violated their agreement,” Apple said in a statement.
In a statement, an Epic spokesperson said the company is “grateful that Apple continues to be unable to retaliate against Unreal Engine and our game development customers as the litigation continues. We will continue to develop for iOS and Mac under the protection of the court and will seek all avenues to end Apple’s anti-competitive behavior. “
Crucial appointment
“Given the novelty and magnitude of the issues, as well as the debate both in the academic community and in society at large, the Court is unwilling to tilt the playing field in favor of one party or another with an early ruling of probability of success by merit. “said the ruling.
Key Background
Epic’s lawsuit against Apple has created a movement of technology companies against Apple. In addition to Epic, Spotify, Match Group, Tile, and others formed a nonprofit to collectively pressure Apple to change its policies around in-app payments. They argue that Apple’s 30% cut is anti-competitive because it forces developers to use Apple’s payment processing system, while forcing companies to raise prices to cover the cost of the fee.
Other readings
Read the full decision here.
