Apple and Epic Games always seem to be embroiled in new legal battles. Gaming company Epic has filed another claim in a California court, following up on its previous September 2021 lawsuit. Here are the details:
Apple wins but not victorious?
In 2021, a court ruled in Apple’s favor on the antitrust lawsuit, still requiring it to fund other payment options outside of apps in the US (iPhone and iPad). This big news prompted further pushback from Epic, which argued that Apple’s control over in-app purchases was disproportionate.
The catch: While this policy is commendable, I think additional efforts should be made to mitigate these charges because they still sting.
Here’s the twist. However, Apple is providing the feasibility of using competitive payment methods among developers by offering them a larger commission (27%) for transactions that occur outside the scope of their applications. This is quite the opposite and it erases very little potential for developers who could have easily gotten away with Apple’s standard 30% cut that was required. On the contrary, Epic will appeal the court’s ruling that the rule is ineffective.
Non-obvious option
Epic has additionally argued that Apple is treating app makers poorly concerning the display and promotion of these alternative payments. For example, these external payment links have to be presented by the developers in a plain button style, which is quite dull. According to him, this approach may work against users who are looking for alternatives by losing the effectiveness of other methods.
Beyond Games: The Fight With Their Multi-Platform
The issue goes beyond AgileGames. Using an example like Minecraft, where Apple prevents in-app purchases for anything external, although this is commonly available for other operating systems like Android that freely provide the opportunity, is also used. Is. According to Epic, the said effort should demonstrate that Apple is trying to eliminate any other payment method using its right hand.
the fight continues
Therefore, Epic’s next action on this issue will likely impose an additional burden on Apple. As the testing begins, consumers as well as app developers will be trying to figure out whether a one-size-fits-all discount will be given to all in-app payments. Also whether there will be any successful challenge to the cuisine monopoly of this food item market.
