Epic Games Continues Legal Battle with Apple Over Fortnite
After a recent court ruling in favor of Epic Games, the company is ramping up its efforts to pressure Apple to allow Fortnite back into its App Store. In a new court filing, Epic is asking Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers to mandate that Apple “accept any compliant version of Fortnite onto the U.S. storefront of the App Store.”
The ongoing legal dispute between Epic and Apple revolves around Apple’s App Store policies, particularly the fees it charges for in-app purchases. The recent ruling by Judge Rogers found Apple to be in “willful violation” of an injunction on anti-competitive pricing, potentially opening the door for Fortnite’s return to the App Store and allowing developers to offer alternative payment options.
Despite this legal victory, Apple has announced its intention to appeal the ruling. In response, Epic revealed that Apple is currently blocking Fortnite from both the U.S. App Store and the Epic Games store in Europe. This move has led to Fortnite being offline worldwide on iOS devices until Apple lifts the ban.
Apple, however, disputes Epic’s claims, stating that it requested Epic Sweden to resubmit the app update without including the U.S. storefront of the App Store in order to avoid affecting Fortnite in other regions.
In a letter from Apple’s attorney, Mark A. Perry, it was revealed that Apple has decided not to take action on the Fortnite app submission until the Ninth Circuit rules on their request for a partial stay of the new injunction. Epic argues that Apple’s actions are denying them the opportunity to benefit from pro-competitive regulations and are sending a message to other developers not to challenge Apple’s practices.
