![]() It's possible we could see a compromise decision, such as one where Apple retains control over iOS app distribution and in-app payments, but Epic gets to include an in-app browser link that takes users to its web-based store, where it doesn't pay Apple's fee. The trial should wrap up within another week or so, after which we and the parties will await a decision (which will likely be appealed). The surprises during the first two weeks mostly came from documents used as exhibits during the trial, and from a few comments from the lawyers, such as the claim that itch.io games are unspeakably offensive and banter over a banana. Apple, of course, argued that its control over third-party iOS software keeps its users safe and is an integral part of the product. Microsoft took Epic's side on this-that consoles aren't the same because they're single-purpose devices-and revealed that it's never made any money selling Xbox hardware.Įpic and Apple also argued over security issues, with Epic wanting to show that the App Store review process is lacking, and not a good reason to make developers use it. This led to an expected argument over whether or not game consoles and smartphones are the same kinds of things. Apple wondered why Epic is fine with putting Fortnite on the PlayStation even though Sony has similar rules as Apple. ![]() To start things off, Sweeney talked about the "metaverse" he's trying to build-Epic recently announced $1 billion in funding for that vision-and expressed that Apple's App Store policies are unfair. Two weeks into the trial, the attorneys for each side continue to make the arguments laid out in documents submitted before the trial (I explain many of them in the sections below). The latest from the courtroom What's happened in the trial so far? A ruling in Epic's favor could change that.Ībove: Epic's PR campaign against Apple was a subject of the trial's first day. And definitely forget using your own payment processing. In the near term, Epic wants to release a version of the Epic Games Store that sells mobile games, but right now it's against Apple's rules to release a "store within a store"-that is, an iOS app that sells other iOS apps. Getting rid of rules and fees on smartphones would certainly help Epic achieve that. ![]() It also sees itself as more than a game or engine developer, and wants to build a "metaverse" where players and creators can buy and sell content and play games across platforms. More money! For starters, Epic wants to sell V-bucks in Fortnite without having to pay Apple's 30% fee.Įpic didn't go through all this trouble just for Fortnite dollars, though. In other words, Epic thinks that iPhones should be more like Windows 10 PCs, where you don't have to use the Microsoft Store to buy or sell software if you don't want to. And according to Epic, Apple's rules for third-party iOS apps aren't just unfair: they're anti-competitive and illegal.Įpic wants Apple to let users install apps that aren't distributed on the App Store, and for it to let developers use their own in-app payment processing, bypassing Apple's fee. iOS apps also have to use Apple's payment processing for in-app purchases of digital items (Fortnite V-bucks, for example), and Apple takes a cut of that, too.Įpic says that iOS is an unavoidable operating system for mobile devs-most people either have an iPhone or an Android phone-and so it's not fair that Apple forces everyone to play by its "oppressive" rules. Software developers who want to release iPhone apps must do so through the iOS App Store, where Apple takes a cut of each sale. In the trial, Epic will reference "antitrust laws," which are laws against anti-competitive behavior. The term "antitrust" is similar, but refers to efforts to counter monopolies. Epic says that what Apple is doing is "anti-competitive" and that it has "monopoly power," which both mean that Epic thinks Apple has too much control over a market.
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