Apple to appeal against decision in Epic Games lawsuit
Apple is appealing the ruling in the lawsuit with Epic Games. The court ruled in September that Apple can no longer ban third-party payment systems in favor of its own payment system, where the company charges a commission.
In addition to the appeal, Apple is also filing a motion to postpone this ruling until the lawsuit is fully concluded, and the ruling is final and irrevocable. According to the earlier ruling, the new App Store rules should go into effect on December 9, also writes Reuters. Apple previously called the ruling a “big victory.”
If Apple’s motion is passed, it could take years for this change to take effect. The requested delay should enable Apple “to protect consumers and protect its platform while addressing complex and rapidly evolving legal, technological and economic challenges.”
The dispute between Apple and Epic Games started in August last year. Epic Games introduced its own payment system for in-app purchases in the iOS and Android versions of Fortnite, bypassing the 15 or 30 percent commission from Apple and Google. The game was subsequently removed from the two app stores, after which Epic Games filed two antitrust charges against Apple and Google.
The lawsuit against Google will start later this year, but the first ruling in the Apple case was already handed down last month. The judge largely ruled in Apple’s favour; the judge ruled in favor of the company in most aspects of the lawsuit. For example, the judge ruled that Epic Games failed to prove that Apple is a monopolist. At the same time, from December 9, Apple was no longer allowed to require iOS app developers to use Apple’s own payment system, for which the company charges a commission. Instead, developers are allowed to reference third-party payment methods within their apps.
Epic Games previously announced that it will appeal the ruling. The company was wrong on most counts. Apple may also continue to ban Fortnite from the App Store; While the App Store’s rules on third-party payment methods should change, that wasn’t the case at the time of the Fortnite conflict. The judge thus ruled that Epic Games committed a breach of contract. Apple has since confirmed that the tech giant will continue to ban Fortnite from the App Store until the lawsuit is finally concluded.