Fierce Competition, Apple Finally Wins Appeal Against Epic Games

Apple won an appeal to Epic Games (photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Just like the never-ending drama between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, the conflict between Apple and Epic Games has now entered a new chapter.

In a ruling issued by the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the two companies' antitrust dispute, Apple emerged victorious. The ruling stated that the App Store's policies do not violate competition laws.

The United States Court of Appeals has upheld a 2021 ruling by a first-instance court judge that dismissed most of Epic Games' claims that the ‌App Store‌ rules violated US law by not allowing third-party marketplaces on iOS devices.

"There is important debate about the role played in our economy and democracy by online transaction platforms and market forces," the ruling read, launching from Bloomberg via Engadget.

Apple later told Bloomberg the ruling was a "big win in this case", but was disappointed that the court also upheld the original decision regarding access to third-party payment options.

Epic Games initiated an antitrust lawsuit against Apple back in August 2020, after Epic tried to circumvent Apple's 15 to 30 percent platform fee by offering a new direct payment option in Fortnite, which subsequently resulted in the removal of the game and termination of Epic Games' developer account from the App Store.

Then, the most recent appeal against a lower US court ruling in 2021 held that Apple did not violate competition laws or monopolize the market.

Despite Apple's current victory, the court ruled that the App Store violated California's unfair competition laws. Thus, this breach forced Apple to allow developers on its platform to link to payment options outside of their apps.