Epic Games has achieved a significant legal victory over Apple, potentially paving the way for Fortnite‘s return to the U.S. iOS App Store as soon as next week. This comes after Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Apple was in “willful violation” of a 2021 court order that prohibited the tech giant from employing anti-competitive pricing practices.
While Apple secured several wins during the trial, it was instructed not to collect fees on purchases made outside its apps. The court mandated that developers should be allowed to direct users to their websites for transactions. However, the judge determined that Apple not only ignored this ruling but did so deliberately, aiming to establish new competitive barriers.
Rogers described Apple’s actions as a severe miscalculation, emphasizing that the court would not tolerate such defiance. She even referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California for potential criminal contempt proceedings.
In response to this ruling, an Apple spokesperson announced plans to appeal the decision while affirming their intent to comply with the court’s order. Meanwhile, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney took to social media to confirm that Fortnite would be made available in the U.S. App Store promptly.
Sweeney also proposed that if Apple were to implement the court’s framework without additional fees globally, Epic Games would reinstate Fortnite in all markets and cease further legal action against Apple on this issue.
This ruling has been hailed as a significant win for other tech companies grappling with Apple’s policies. A spokesperson for Spotify lauded the decision as a victory for developers and indicated that they would swiftly work on an update to improve user experience for their American customers.
Fanpage: TechArena.au
Watch more about AI – Artificial Intelligence
