Epic Games, the developer of popular game Fortnite, has taken its legal battle against Apple to the United States Supreme Court. The company has raised concerns about the way Apple manages its App Store, particularly regarding payments and whether Apple should be allowed to take a cut of transactions made within apps and games.
This legal dispute began when Epic Games intentionally bypassed App Store rules by allowing in-game Fortnite payments to be made outside of Apple’s platform. As a result, Fortnite was removed from the App Store and has not been reinstated since then.
Epic Games argues that Apple’s 30% commission on payments made through the App Store is unfair, especially since developers are not allowed to use their own payment systems instead. Although Epic Games previously lost the case in lower courts, it is now seeking the Supreme Court’s intervention to reconsider the matter.
The request to the Supreme Court comes after Apple mostly won an appeals court battle over its payment practices. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a previous decision by a federal judge in California that found Apple did not violate federal antitrust laws. However, Epic Games did achieve a partial victory, with the judge ruling that Apple violated California’s Unfair Competition Law by preventing developers from informing customers of alternative payment methods outside of their apps.
The Supreme Court’s decision on whether to take up the case is likely to take several months. Regardless of the outcome, this high-profile dispute will attract significant attention.
Meanwhile, Fortnite remains unavailable on the App Store for iPhone and iPad users. This is unfortunate considering the improved gaming performance of Apple’s latest iPhones, equipped with their new A17 Pro chips.
In conclusion, Epic Games has turned to the Supreme Court in its ongoing legal battle against Apple’s App Store policies. The outcome of this case will have far-reaching implications for app developers and the way transactions are handled within mobile apps and games.