In a filing to US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, Apple denied any violation of a court order governing its App Store and urged the judge to reject Epic Games’ request for contempt. The judge presided over a lawsuit in 2020 where Epic Games accused Apple of violating antitrust law with its strict controls over app downloads and transactions within them.
Apple argued that Epic’s attempt to make its tools and technologies available to developers for free was an effort to micromanage Apple’s business operations in a way that would increase Epic’s profitability. Meanwhile, Epic declined to comment on these claims.
While Epic largely lost its case against Apple, Judge Rogers ordered Apple to give developers greater freedom to guide app users to alternative payment methods for digital goods. However, Epic accused Apple of being in blatant violation of this court injunction by imposing a 27% fee on developers for some purchases and restricting information about other payment options, making them commercially unusable.
Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Elon Musk’s X, and Match Group echoed Epic’s arguments, claiming that Apple’s actions were in clear violation of the court’s order. In a separate case brought by Epic against Google, a judge in San Francisco is expected to issue an injunction affecting the Google Play Store later this year. The ongoing legal battle between Epic Games and Apple continues to unfold.
