Apple Vs Epic Lawsuit: The Verdict Is Here

Just a few days before the official launch of the iPhone 13 series of smartphones, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers has issued her verdict regarding one of the biggest tech lawsuits of the modern era. According to the verdict, Apple is ordered to remove the restriction for adding external payment methods on App stores and iOS apps.

This means a developer can now add a link to an external payment method, which does go against Apple's anti-steering policy. Apple should implement this feature within December 9 and should make required changes in the App Store policy.

What Happened?

In 2020, Epic released an updated version of Fortnite which allowed users to make direct payment to Epic, without offering a cut to Apple. As soon as the app went live, Apple remove the same on the grounds of breaching the contract and even suspended Epic's developer account and Epic took this to court.

Now, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers has stated that Apple has done the valid and lawful thing, as Epic did break the contract. On top of that, Judge has also order Epic to pay 30 percent of the revenue it has collected from the iOS Fortnite platform via direct payment method.

The court has also said that Epic has "failed in its burden to demonstrate Apple is an illegal monopolist." The digital mobile gaming industry is worth $100 billion and Apple holds 55 percent of the market share. However, Epic has failed to prove that Apple is violating any anti-trust laws and she has also said that "success is not illegal."

Today’s ruling isn't a win for developers or for consumers. Epic is fighting for fair competition among in-app payment methods and app stores for a billion consumers. https://t.co/cGTBxThnsP

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) September 10, 2021

Apple has also issued an official judgment after the issue of the verdict. This indicates that Apple might not appeal further. However, it looks like Epic is not happy with the verdict, as the CEO of Epic -- Tim Sweeney has tweeted that "Today's ruling isn't a win for developers or for consumers. Epic is fighting for fair competition among in-app payment methods and app stores for a billion consumers."

Though it might look like the lawsuit has come to an end, there is one more thing for Apple to worry about, as Epic has also filed a lawsuit against Apple in Europe. This verdict might have made Apple smile. However, it does open a huge window for app developers, as they can now inform their audience about alternative payments on iOS apps.

Given this situation, Fortnite is unlikely to make an official comeback on Apple devices. Hence, Apple actually does have an upper hand in this verdict when compared to Epic.

Read the full judgment here