Apple wins antitrust court battle with Epic Games, appeals court rules
The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has sided with Apple in its antitrust court battle with Epic Games, with the iPhone maker celebrating a ‘resounding victory’ on Monday as the court agrees that it doesn’t violate federal antitrust law with its App Store rules, confirming an earlier ruling in the Apple vs. Epic Games antitrust case.
Apple and Google pulled Epic Games’ Fortnite from their respective app stores in 2020 after the game developer pushed an update to the Fortnite app that implemented a new “direct payment” option in an effort to evade the commission the App Store and Google Play store take from in-app purchases.
A judge last year dismissed claims Apple is a monopolist under either federal or state antitrust laws, marking a significant blow to Epic Games who were ordered to pay Apple damages in an amount equal to 30% of the $12,167,719 in revenue the developer collected from users from the Fortnite app on iOS through Epic’s direct payment option between August and October 2020, plus 30% of any such revenue Epic Games collected from November 1, 2020 through the date of judgment, and interest according to law.
Apple has issued the following statement:
Today’s decision reaffirms Apple’s resounding victory in this case, with nine of ten claims having been decided in Apple’s favor. For the second time in two years, a federal court has ruled that Apple abides by antitrust laws at the state and federal levels. The App Store continues to promote competition, drive innovation, and expand opportunity, and we’re proud of its profound contributions to both users and developers around the world. We respectfully disagree with the court’s ruling on the one remaining claim under state law and are considering further review.