Epic Games has asked the US Supreme Court to review a 2021 ruling that cleared Apple of violating antitrust laws, according to a report. He that Apple violated California’s Unfair Competition law, claiming that the App Store prohibits developers from directing users to other third-party payment systems. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in April that Apple’s practices had “a substantial anticompetitive effect that harms consumers,” but it did not meet the requirements for an antitrust case.
If Epic wins its appeal, Apple could lose a substantial source of revenue. The company takes a cut of all purchases made through its App Store, which can be up to 30 percent. Epic Games has been the loudest voice in protest of this cut, although other companies such as Spotify and Tile are also part of the , which has been pressuring Apple to change its policies. Outside the US, Epic and its peers have had more success in changing the status quo: authorities in both countries have ruled that Apple must allow third-party payments, although Apple is still taking a hefty cut as a “transaction fee.” . Apple is also rumored to be preparing in response to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act.
Bloomberg He says the Supreme Court could decide whether to take up the case before the end of the year. Meanwhile, fortnite is . It’s been absent since , when Apple banned the game after Epic added alternative payment methods to avoid the App Store outage.
Epic is also in a legal battle with . Both Epic and Match Group, which operates dating apps such as Hinge and Tinder, allege that Google abuses its control of Android app distribution through the Play Store by setting unfair fees and requirements for in-app purchases. That trial is supposed to begin in .
