Apple vs. Epic Games. This has been an ongoing legal war that Epic is not backing down from. At issue is Apple’s full control over the App Store and not allowing developers to offer alternative payment choices within their apps.
Apple charges developers a fee for any charges their apps impose on their users for those who don’t know. This is often called the Apple Tax. Developers haven’t really done much about this tax other than complain about it. Most developers tack on the tax to their prices and call it a day.
Epic Games decided to challenge the tax and took Apple to court after removing Fortnite from the App Store. Now, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has ruled that Apple’s tax is anti-competitive and issued a permanent injunction that says Apple needs to allow developers to direct users to other payment options, not just the App Store payment option.
Apple Inc. and its officers, agents, servants, employees, and any person in active concert or participation with them (“Apple”), are hereby permanently restrained and enjoined from prohibiting developers from (i) including in their apps and their metadata buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms, in addition to In-App Purchasing and (ii) communicating with customers through points of contact, obtained voluntarily from customers through account registration within the app.
This ruling will likely be challenged, so while this battle worked in Epic’s favor, it’s not over yet. The way the legal system works, it could take several years to shake out.
