Apple Says Epic Games ‘Wants Us to Be Android, But We Don’t Want to Be’
The highly-anticipated Epic Games vs. Apple trial began today in a federal court in Oakland, California, with attorneys for both companies providing opening remarks prior to District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
Attorneys for Epic Games attempted to paint the App Store as monopolistic and anti-competitive, keeping in mind that designers are forced to utilize Apples in-app purchase system, and therefore pay Apple a 30% commission on sales. (The rate drops to 15% for subscriptions after the first year and for qualifying developers who sign up for Apples new Small Business Program and make less than $1 million per calendar year in net revenue.).
Epic Games explained the App Store as a “walled garden” and provided e-mails from existing and former Apple executives like Steve Jobs, Phil Schiller, Craig Federighi, Eddy Cue, and Scott Forstall in an effort to show this claim.
Epic Games wants Apple to be required to enable third-party app shops on iOS and to let designers provide direct payment systems, but Apple argued that a single, highly-curated App Store is needed to safeguard the security, privacy, dependability, and quality that customers have come to expect from the company.
” Epic desires us to be Android, however we dont wish to be,” said Apple lawyer Karen Dunn, referring to the ability to sideload apps beyond the Google Play store on Android gadgets. “Our customers dont desire that either,” she added.
Epic Games is the creator of popular fight royale game Fortnite, which Apple got rid of from the App Store in August 2020, soon after Epic Games slyly introduced a direct payment alternative in the app, in defiance of the App Store rules. Epic Games then submitted a managed suit versus Apple, implicating the business of anti-competitive behavior.
At the time, Apple stated Epic Games “took the regrettable step of breaching the App Store guidelines that are applied similarly to every developer and designed to keep the store safe for our users,” adding that it would “strive to work with Epic to fix these infractions so they can return Fortnite to the App Store.” Legendary Games has declined to cooperate, however, and Fortnite remains unavailable on the App Store.
Legendary Games CEO Tim Sweeney testified at the trial today, stating that by introducing the direct payment alternative, he desired customers to see that Apple works out “overall control” over iOS and software application available on the platform.
The trial is anticipated to continue for an overall of 3 weeks, with Apples CEO Tim Cook and other executives anticipated to testify.