Apple also wins in 'Fortnite' dispute before US appeals court
Apple has also prevailed before the appeals court in its dispute with the makers of the online game "Fortnite". The judges left in force the decision of the lower court, in which the iPhone company had largely been proven right.
According to the ruling published on April 24, 2023, the judges did find an error in the definition of the relevant market - but classified it as unimportant. "Fortnite" developer Epic wanted to avoid the levy of 30 percent of the purchase price that Apple retains on deals in its App Store.
It resorted to a trick to do so in 2021: it sneaked a version of the app past app reviewers, allowing users to buy virtual items past Apple as well. Apple kicked "Fortnite" out of the App Store because of the rule violation. Epic then accused Apple of unfair competition, but lost on most points in the district court.
At the same time, however, the appeals court left a decision of the lower court in force, according to which Apple should make it easier for app developers to point out purchase options outside the App Store. The iPhone company, in turn, wanted to overturn this.