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Epic Games v. Apple has reached a significant turning point, with Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruling that Apple must cease its practice of collecting fees on purchases made outside of its apps. The decision also prohibits Apple from restricting developers from directing users to alternate purchasing options beyond the app ecosystem.
This ruling comes amid Epic Games’ protracted legal battle against Apple and marks a crucial win for Epic’s stance. In her commentary, Rogers highlighted Apple’s “willful” disobedience of a prior injunction issued in 2021, stating, “That [Apple] thought this Court would tolerate such insubordination was a gross miscalculation.”
Furthermore, Judge Rogers has referred the matter to the U.S. attorney to investigate potential criminal contempt charges against Apple.
In the context of the ruling, Judge Rogers outlined specific actions Apple must refrain from taking.
Reacting to the outcome, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney announced that Fortnite would make its return to the U.S. App Store “next week.” Sweeney also proposed a “peace proposal” from Epic, stating, “If Apple extends the court’s friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework worldwide, we’ll return Fortnite to the App Store worldwide and drop current and future litigation on the topic.”
Traditionally, Apple has claimed a 30 percent commission on app purchases, a move that has drawn the ire of many developers. Following the ruling in 2021, Apple was mandated to allow alternative payment pathways; however, the company introduced terms that still required a significant commission rate of 27 percent, leaving many developers, including Epic, dissatisfied.
Judge Rogers remarked, “In the end, Apple sought to maintain a revenue stream worth billions in direct defiance of this Court’s Injunction.” She noted that, despite internal discussions where App Store head Phil Schiller advocated compliance, CEO Tim Cook “chose poorly” by ignoring this advice and listening to CFO Luca Maestri’s opposing views.
Apple has not provided an immediate response to requests for comments regarding the latest ruling.
Source
www.theverge.com