Last Updated on 22/11/2021 by Sanskriti
Epic Games has filed a notice of appeal in a lawsuit accusing Apple of operating an unlawful monopoly that stifles competition.
In a court filing on Sunday, the creators of the famous Fortnite video game stated that they will appeal the judgement to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ordered Apple to demolish a profitable portion of the competitive wall defending its tightly regulated iPhone app store in a 185-page judgement issued Friday, but she dismissed Epic’s claims that Apple operated as a monopoly. Epic stated in its notice of appeal that it will challenge the final verdict, as well as “all orders leading to or generating that judgement.”
The judgement continues to erode Apple’s so-called “walled garden” erected around its crown jewel, the iPhone, and its app store, but does not entirely topple it.
Apple also felt vindicated as a result of the ruling. Apple was not declared a monopolist by the judge and therefore was not required to enable other shops to sell software for iPhones, iPads, and iPods.
Epic launched what it believed would be a historic antitrust complaint last year after boldly rejecting an exclusive payment system that feeds 15% to 30% of all in-app digital transactions on iPhone devices to Apple.
Subscriptions to Netflix or Spotify, as well as the selling of digital items like music, movies, or virtual tchotchkes for video games, are examples of such transactions. Epic portrayed the hefty charge as a form of price gouging that wouldn’t be feasible if other stores were permitted to sell iPhone software.
While some of Gonzalez Rogers’ rulings raised issues about whether Apple’s fees were pushing up consumer costs, she maintained the company’s authority to ban rival retailers from selling iPhone software. On every other major issue in the case, she sided with Apple.
However, the court found Apple to be guilty of unfair competition under California law, and she ordered the firm to enable developers in the United States to include links to alternative payment methods besides Apple’s in iPhone apps. This move would make it simpler for software developers to avoid paying Apple’s fees, potentially costing billions of dollars each year.
Even though it admitted that it may appeal the section of the verdict that makes it easier for app developers to avoid Apple’s commissions, Apple attempted to portray the decision as a full triumph.
