Epic Games

The battle between Epic Games and Apple continues. Earlier this month, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Apple must allow App Store developers to redirect users to other payment systems. The judge sided with Apple on all other claims, leading Apple to call the ruling a “resounding victory,” while Epic filed an appeal.

Now, Apple has reportedly denied Epic’s request to reinstate its developer account, which would allow it to bring Fortnite back to the App Store.

After a trial that lasted more than a year, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers finally issued her permanent injunction in the case of Apple vs. Epic Games.

While Apple will be forced to change some of the App Store guidelines, Epic Games has been ordered to pay Apple a 30% commission of all sales the company registered by bypassing the App Store’s in-app purchases system with Fortnite last year. Now Epic has done just that and paid Apple $6 million.

The official ruling from the Epic Games vs. Apple lawsuit in the US has been delivered today and one of Epic’s partners in the Coalition for App Fairness has shared its official statement on the matter. While Spotify is “pleased” with Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’ verdict when it comes to anti-competitive practices used by Apple, the streaming audio service says more legislation aimed at Apple “has never been more urgent.”

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has finally issued a permanent injunction regarding the Apple vs. Epic Games case, which began in August 2020 after Fortnite was removed from the App Store. However, although Apple has been required to allow alternative payment methods in the App Store, the company will not be forced to let Epic Games bring back Fortnite or other apps to its platforms.

We’re still awaiting a US ruling in the Epic Games antitrust case against Apple, but the games company has now received the go-ahead to take the same case to court in Australia.

Apple had successfully blocked legal proceedings in the country, arguing that the matter was already being decided in the US, but Epic has now managed to get that ruling overturned – at least, for now …

Because of the Epic v. Apple trial, we’ve been able to see tons of old emails from Apple showing their plans for the future around the time of the App Store. One email in particular, an executive team meeting agenda, details several seemingly unreleased products that the company had been discussing at one point or another. Two of those are iPods originally planned for the first half of 2008.

Spotify’s chief legal officer Horacio Gutierrez has said that he likes Apple products but considers the company a disingenuous bully.

Gutierrez made the remarks in an op-ed in the WSJ, and in an interview with The Verge …

With all the arguments completed, we’re now waiting for the judge’s Epic Games ruling in the antitrust trial against Apple. The consensus view among lawyers is that Apple did the better job overall in presenting its arguments – but the iPhone maker did come in for some close questioning by the judge, so the result is certainly not a foregone conclusion.

There are three possible outcomes in the case, and one of them might just be a better result for Apple than an outright win …

The Epic Games lawsuit took a fascinating turn this week when Apple suggested that Microsoft could be the real driver behind the antitrust case.

The Cupertino company has gone as far as asking for a Microsoft witness’s testimony to be discarded on the basis that Xbox exec Lori Wright is not a true third party …

As the Epic vs Apple trial continues, the latter has submitted a filing in the case to have the court make a ruling on Epic’s allegation that iOS is an essential facility. Apple believes the judgment should be granted in its favor as Epic hasn’t offered up evidence for the claim and provides two core reasons for why it should be dismissed.

The European Union is watching the Apple versus Epic Games trial closely, says the head of the EU’s competition watchdog, but its own investigations will proceed regardless of the outcome.

European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager said that both of the EU’s antitrust investigations into Apple were progressing …

Apple Fellow Phil Schiller officially took the stand today in Apple’s legal battle against Epic Games. The Apple veteran focused heavily on the early days of the App Store, but also provided some interesting tidbits on what it costs to run WWDC, a new developer center coming to Apple Park, and more.

Apple has officially started to present its case in the ongoing legal battle with Epic Games over the App Store. Things have kicked off with Apple Fellow and App Store boss Phil Schiller’s testimony, with Tim Cook and Craig Federighi expected to testify later this week and into early next week.

The consensus view of the Epic Games case is that Apple is likely to win, but Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has today suggested that it may not be quite as clear cut as that.

He argues that Apple may end up making some further concessions to developers to help fend off similar lawsuits and antitrust investigations in the future…

The Apple vs. Epic trial continued today, with Epic CEO Tim Sweeney testifying and facing cross-examination from Apple’s lawyers. Sweeney was pressed on Epic’s business model, the company’s relationship with the likes of Microsoft and Sony, and more.

As part of the documents turning up in the ongoing Epic vs. Apple trial that commenced today, various details have leaked out about Epic’s planned road map for the game.

Seemingly, when Apple and Epic were on better terms, the companies plotted a services bundle that would offer a bundle subscription of Fortnite Club (a Fortnite subscription tier, which was later released in the US named “Fortnite Crew”), Apple Music, and Apple TV+.

On the day that the Apple/Epic case begins, a senior Google engineer has used a blog post to undermine a key part of the Cupertino company’s antitrust defense.

Apple denies that the iOS App Store amounts to a monopoly, for two reasons. First, it says that developers can create apps for other platforms, like Android and games consoles. Second, it argues that those who want to reach iPhone users can simply create web apps. It is this latter claim that has come under fire …

New court documents show that Fortnite didn’t rely on Apple’s platform for much of its overall revenue. According to files seen by the Verge from Epic’s trial against Apple, the iOS system was one of the smallest platforms in terms of revenue for Epic Games.

The Epic Games lawsuit continues in the form of written testimony ahead of the trial next month. Epic has presented expert arguments from a number of academics from prestigious colleges as it makes its antitrust case against Apple. In particular, the experts took issue with Apple’s claim that the primary role of the App Store was to protect users.

The academics make the case that it’s possible to have a monopoly on access to iOS apps despite the existence of a competing smartphone platform; that Apple gives its own apps an unfair advantage; that security of apps is just a pretext for blocking competing app stores; that Apple’s cut reduces app sales; and more…