
iPhone-maker Apple, on Monday, won its legal battle against Epic Games over the former's App Store policies.
According to an opinion piece issued by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Apple won the anti-trust appeals as the court largely upheld the district court’s earlier ruling related to Epic Games’ antitrust claims in favor of Apple.
However, it also upheld the lower court’s judgment in favor of Epic under California’s Unfair Competition Law.
This was first reported by Bloomberg News. According to the report, Apple issued a statement: "Today’s decision reaffirms Apple’s resounding victory in this case, with nine of ten claims having been decided in Apple’s favor. For the second time in two years, a federal court has ruled that Apple abides by antitrust laws at the state and federal levels. The App Store continues to promote competition, drive innovation, and expand opportunity, and we’re proud of its profound contributions to both users and developers around the world. We respectfully disagree with the court’s ruling on the one remaining claim under state law and are considering further review."
Meanwhile, Fortnite remains banned from Apple's store until all cases are settled.
Fortnite maker Epic Games filed a lawsuit against Apple in 2020 alleging a monopolist approach regarding in-app purchases on the App Store. Fortnite was removed from Apple's store after Epic intentionally violated the store agreements over purchases. Apple won the case as the judge cleared the Cupertino-based company of monopolistic malpractices.
However, the court sided with Epic Games over the issues of Apple’s anti-steering policies regarding restrictions on in-app purchases, directing Apple to not prohibit developers from pointing users to other means of payment. In Monday's ruling, the appeals court upheld both orders.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney took to Twitter to explain what the ruling means for both companies.
Apple prevailed at the 9th Circuit Court. Though the court upheld the ruling that Apple's restraints have "a substantial anticompetitive effect that harms consumers", they found we didn't prove our Sherman Act case.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) April 24, 2023
In response to a query, Sweeney also explained Epic Games' metaverse efforts where users can customise their gaming experience.
You can do all of that in Unreal Engine today. Unreal Editor for Fortnite brings some of the features to Fortnite. They will come together more and more over time with the aim of connecting in the open metaverse where you can use as much or as little of Epic's stuff as you want.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) April 25, 2023
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