Apple has again won a battle against game maker Epic in the legal battle around Fortnite. A federal judge in California ruled that the US tech giant is under no obligation to return the popular game to the App Store. Earlier, a judge reached the same verdict in an interlocutory judgment.
The two parties have been at odds since mid-August. The case revolves around the fact that both Apple and Google charge a 30 percent commission on purchases made in the Fortnite app. Epic is done with this and decided to introduce its own payment system. In response, the two companies removed the game from their download stores in quick succession.
Apple does not allow other systems in the App Store outside of its own payment system.
Insufficiently refuted
According to the California judge, Epic put forward strong arguments about Apple’s monopoly position in the App Store, but had insufficiently refuted Apple’s counter-arguments.
Both companies have not yet responded to the ruling. A new lawsuit will probably follow next year.
Growing resistance
At the end of last month, opposition to the power of Apple, among others, grew in the App Store. Thirteen parties, including Epic and also music service Spotify, united in one Coalition for App Fairness.
In this new organization, the companies argue for “freedom of choice and fair competition between the app ecosystems”, according to their site.