Apple denies violating a court order related to its App Store operations and urges a California federal judge to dismiss Epic Games’ request to hold it in contempt. The dispute continues amidst broader antitrust scrutiny, with major tech companies supporting Epic’s claims against Apple.
On Friday, Apple refuted claims that it had breached a court order related to its App Store practices and requested that a California federal judge dismiss an accusation by Epic Games, the developer behind “Fortnite,” which sought to have Apple held in contempt.
In a legal submission to U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland—who oversaw the 2020 lawsuit where Epic accused Apple of antitrust violations due to its stringent App Store regulations—Apple defended its position. The filing contested Epic’s attempt to compel Apple to make its “tools and technologies available to developers for free,” which Apple argued was an effort to “micromanage Apple’s business operations in a way that would increase Epic’s profitability.”
Epic has opted not to comment on the matter. Apple has not yet responded to inquiries about the ongoing dispute, which is part of a protracted conflict between the two tech giants.
Although Epic largely lost its legal battle against Apple, Judge Rogers issued a ruling in 2021 that mandated Apple to allow developers more freedom to direct users towards alternative payment methods for digital goods. Apple’s appeal of this injunction was declined by the U.S. Supreme Court in January.
Epic’s recent court filing accused Apple of “blatant violation” of the injunction, highlighting Apple’s introduction of a 27% fee on certain developer transactions which, according to Epic, renders alternative payment links “commercially unusable.” Furthermore, Epic charged that Apple has prevented some apps from informing users about alternative payment methods.
Supporting Epic’s stance, major companies like Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Elon Musk’s X, and Match Group also communicated to Judge Rogers last month that Apple was in “clear violation” of the court order.
In a related lawsuit brought by Epic against Alphabet’s Google, a San Francisco judge is anticipated to issue a separate injunction this year that will impact the Google Play Store.
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