Epic Games Scores Legal Victory Against Apple, Fortnite Could Return to U.S. App Store Soon
After a long legal battle with Apple, Epic Games has emerged victorious with the potential return of Fortnite to the U.S. iOS app store on the horizon. The ruling, delivered by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, found Apple guilty of “willful violation” of a 2021 injunction related to anticompetitive pricing practices.
While Apple did win several arguments in the Epic Games trial, one significant ruling went against them. Apple was prohibited from collecting fees on purchases made outside of their apps, with developers now allowed to direct customers to their websites for transactions. Despite this injunction, Apple failed to comply and instead engaged in what the court deemed as a deliberate attempt to create new anticompetitive barriers.
Judge Rogers expressed her disapproval of Apple’s actions in her ruling, stating, “That it thought this Court would tolerate such insubordination was a gross miscalculation. As always, the coverup made it worse. For this Court, there is no second bite at the apple.” She even referred the case to the U.S. attorney for potential criminal contempt proceedings.
In response to the favorable ruling, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney took to social media platform X to announce the imminent return of Fortnite to the U.S. App Store. He also extended a proposal to Apple, suggesting that if they adopt the court’s guidelines globally, Epic Games would drop all current and future litigation related to the issue.
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