Apple and Epic Games fought in a federal court arguing whether to reinstate the popular Fortnite game in Apple’s App Store. It is a part of the larger antitrust argument that could reshape a key part of the apps ecosystem.
Epic Games is trying to get a temporary court order that would force Apple to reinstate Fortnite on its iOS App Store. For those who are unaware, Fortnite was removed from the App Store a couple of months ago for breaching contract as the game removed Apple’s proprietary in-app payment system that takes a 30% cut from developers.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California has not given a timeframe for a decision on the injunction. She also added that the case should be tried before a jury, which could happen in July 2021.
Epic Games acknowledged that the company breached its agreement with Apple but claimed that the company was simply refusing to comply with an anti-competitive contract and that forcing a legal battle was part of the plan.
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Apple has alleged that Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney is attempting to lead a developer revolt that cuts at the heart of Apple’s business model. But it’s noteworthy that this isn’t the first time developer has revolted against Apple. Spotify also battled with Apple over its policies and most recently Hey email app also faced issues with Apple.
The scrutiny of Apple is based on the fact that the company holds much power over developers in its App Store. Apple and Google are virtually controllers of access to apps through their App Store and Play Store on iOS and Android devices.
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