Huge win for Apple – Epic Games loses appeal  

New developments on the much-discussed case

Apple has just won a major victory in its legal battle with Epic Games , the company behind Fortnite , over its App Store policies. A federal appeals court on Monday upheld the lower court’s ruling, which had largely sided with Apple and rejected most of Epic’s claims that Apple is violating antitrust laws by banning competing app stores and payment systems on devices. her.

The decision signals that Apple’s control over the App Store and the fees it charges, which range from 15% to 30% of in-app purchases, will likely remain unaffected in the US despite an ongoing challenge from Epic Games. For the record, the App Store is a critical source of revenue for Apple, contributing to the $78.1 billion in revenue the giant made from its services in fiscal year 2022.

Of course, it wasn’t all bad news for Epic, as the appeals court also upheld the one claim the company had won in a lower court, which ordered Apple to allow developers to place links inside their apps so that users to be able to make purchases outside the App Store. However, whether Apple will have to comply with this decision will depend on possible future litigation. Apple said it is considering further action and an appeal to the Supreme Court is not out of the question.

At this point let us remind you that the legal dispute between Apple and Epic Games began two years ago, when Epic introduced its own payment system in Fortnite, which violated Apple’s rules and led to the game being banned from the App Store. Epic then sued Apple, claiming it monopolizes the iOS app market and stifles competition and innovation.

The case culminated in a weeks-long trial in California, where Apple CEO Tim Cook and Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney testified. The lower court judge ruled that Apple did not monopolize any market and that its App Store policies were justified by legitimate business interests.

Predictably, Apple expressed satisfaction with the appeals court’s decision, which it sees as confirmation of its victory. “This new decision confirms Apple’s resounding victory in this case, with nine out of 10 claims ruled in Apple’s favor,” a company spokesperson told CNBC.