The battle between Apple and Fortnite-maker Epic Games isn’t going away any time soon.
According to a new report by Bloomberg, Epic has now submitted a complaint about Apple to the United Kingdom’s antitrust tribunal.
Epic’s Battle With Apple
It argues that Apple’s decision to boot Fortnite from the App Store in 2020 was unlawful. In the filing, Epic’s lawyers accuse Apple of abusing its “dominant position” as the controller of the App Store. It also protests against Apple’s control of the in-app payment processing mechanism for iOS.
This is the crux of the clash between Apple and Epic. Last summer, Epic introduced a new way to allow Fortnite players to make in-app purchases without going through the iOS App Store. This violated Epic’s developer agreement with Apple, and deprived Apple of the monetary cut that it takes of in-app payments.
Apple quickly responded by removing Fortnite and other Epic titles from the App Store, prompting Epic to file a lawsuit against Apple.
In Epic’s newly filed complaint against Apple (a similar one was also filed against Google), it requested an order to stop Apple from taking further action against the company. It also wants Apple to reinstate Epic’s Apple Developer account. Finally, Epic asks for a court order that will stop Apple making access to iOS software contingent on use of the App Store and Apple-authorized in-app purchases.
Epic’s Statement on the Filing
Following the filing, Tera Randall, Epic’s VP of communications and policy, gave the following statement to 9to5Mac:
Epic Games has launched legal proceedings against Apple and Google in the United Kingdom, expanding its fight to advance fair digital platform practices for consumers and developers. The legal proceedings, filed in London’s Competition Appeal Tribunal, allege the conduct of both Apple and Google in their respective app stores is an abuse of a dominant position and in breach of the UK’s competition laws, substantially reducing competition in app distribution and payment processes.
We believe that this is an important argument to make on behalf of consumers and developers in the UK and around the world who are impacted by Apple and Google’s misuse of market power. We look forward to making our case on January 21. Epic is not seeking damages from Apple or Google in the UK, Australia or the US, it is simply seeking fair access and competition that will benefit all consumers.
Apple and Epic are currently scheduled to meet in court in the United States later this year.
