Tech giant Apple is back in court, facing renewed pressure from “Fortnite” developer Epic Games. In a California court filing on Friday, Apple refuted Epic’s claims that it violated a previous court order governing the App Store.
The original lawsuit, filed in 2020, challenged Apple’s tight control over how users download apps and make in-app purchases. Epic argued these practices were anti-competitive. While the court mostly sided with Apple, it did require them to loosen restrictions, allowing developers more freedom to inform users about alternative payment methods.
Epic now contends that Apple is disregarding that order. They allege that Apple’s hefty fees and limitations on informing users about other payment options make those options impractical. Several other companies, including tech titans Meta Platforms and Microsoft, have joined Epic in these arguments.
Apple, however, maintains its innocence. Their recent filing criticizes Epic’s attempt to secure free access to Apple’s tools and technologies. In Apple’s view, Epic is asking the court to micromanage their business operations to benefit Epic’s bottom line.
The judge’s decision is pending. This is just the latest chapter in a long-running feud between the companies, and a similar case against Google’s Play Store is also underway.
