The judicial confrontation between Epic Games and Apple has been going on for more than a year, and at least for now there are no signs that either party is considering letting it go. Let us remember that although the scuffles already came from before, the beautiful case we find it in the decision of Apple (and also Google, this is important to remember) to expel Fortnite from its application store, the App Store. The reason? Well, Epic Games had contravened the rules of said platform by including a payment system in-app it wasn’t the apple one.
In January of last year, after months of statements about it, Epic Games confirmed that it would go to court, and so we reached last May, when the statements finally began. The process could have concluded on September 10, when Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers issued a sentence, in which she stated that Apple had to allow third-party payment systems, thus breaking the exclusivity that it had enjoyed until now at this point, and the reason for the expulsion of Fortnite.
Obviously, Apple immediately confirmed its intention to appeal the sentence and, based on said intention, it requested that the application of said measure be temporarily suspended, due to the damage that it could cause if a higher judicial instance finally ruled in the opposite direction. Of course, Epic Games faced this request for postponement claiming, curiously, some statements from Apple itself.
Something that Epic Games could not demonstrate in the trial, despite the fact that it was one of its main intentions, is that Apple maintains a monopoly when it comes to software distribution on iOS. And it is that both companies present diametrically opposed approaches in this sense, since it appeals to the fact that Apple faces great competition. Of course, it does so from the perspective that the App Store is part of a broader set, that of the iPhone and its services, and there it is true that those from Cupertino face several direct rivals.
However, as we can read in Yahoo! Finance, Epic Games has received enormous and perhaps not entirely expected support in its intention to demonstrate that Apple does hold the monopoly that it has been denouncing for more than a year, with filing of case-building reports by state attorneys in 35 US states, the US Department of Justice, Microsoft, and the Free Software Foundation. Despite not being part of the party involved in the case, they have resorted to a legal formula that allows them to provide information on causes in which they have interests.
Speaking to the BBC, Apple has stated “We are optimistic that the sentence will be upheld on appeal, and that the Epic Games challenge will fail.«. Obviously this is what you would expect as a response by the company. However, such a broad response by both public and private entities Doesn’t seem like a good sign for Apple. that, perhaps, a future should begin to be considered in which iOS not only allows in-app payments with third-party platforms, but also the possibility of opening iOS to other app stores.
