Apple has emerged victorious on most appeals in its court battle against Epic Games. The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Apple’s move to disallow third-party app stores on its iOS devices did not violate antitrust laws.
CNBC Apple is reportedly pleased with the decision, with a spokesperson saying:
Today’s decision confirms Apple’s resounding victory in this case, with 9 out of 10 claims decided in Apple’s favor. For the second time in two years, a federal court has ruled that Apple abides by state and federal antitrust laws.
Epic Games originally sued Apple in 2020 after Apple removed their hit game. Fortnite From the iOS App Store. This was due to Epic launching an in-game payment system for the Battle Royale game that bypassed Apple’s payment system. Epic claimed that Apple’s actions to ban such a move were anti-competitive.
Today’s appeals court decision supports decisions a lower court announced in September 2021, which said it “cannot ultimately conclude that Apple is subject to federal or state antitrust laws.” is under monopoly.” However, that court ruled that Apple can’t prevent developers from using outside payment methods, and an appeals court agreed with that decision today.
Apple said today that it may take further legal action in the matter. Epic Games has yet to issue a statement. The court ruling comes even as unconfirmed rumors claim that Apple will add support for sideloading apps in Europe for its upcoming iOS 17 update.
