The biz goes on to challenge Apple's assertion that it has to block third-party iOS app distribution for the sake of security, pointing to how users can download and install software on macOS devices without going through the macOS App Store. "There is no security-based distinction between purchases of such physical goods (e.g., food, clothing) and services (e.g., rideshares, lodging), on the one hand, and purchases of in-app content (e.g., game content unlocks, character cosmetics), on the other."Īpple won't be appy: US Supremes give green light to massive lawsuit over App Store prices READ MOREĮpic contends that if Apple can permit Airbnb, Amazon, and Uber to process payments for real-world purchases, it can allow digital merchants to do the same. "Apple does not require that its In-App Purchase be used for in-app purchases of physical goods and certain services that are consumed outside the app," the complaint says. Power moveĮpic's sueball also skewers one of Apple's primary justifications for its iOS payment limitations: security. "Apple’s total foreclosure of any competition in the iOS App Distribution Market reduces the competitive pressure for Apple to innovate and improve its own App Store, leaving developers with inferior distribution outlets compared to what would exist if competition were to drive further development and innovation in the market," the complaint says. ![]() But Epic contends that Android doesn't matter for those making iOS apps. That's perhaps true if the relevant market is defined at a level above the operating system. Apple does not have a dominant market share in any market where we do business," he said. "The smartphone market is fiercely competitive and companies like Samsung, LG, Huawei, and Google have built very successful smartphone businesses offering different approaches. Defending Apple's conduct in June at a Congressional competition hearing that only served to reinforce how ill-equipped current laws and lawmakers are to address concerns about dominant tech companies, CEO Tim Cook argued at the time. Rather the company suggests iOS is a part of the larger smartphone market. ![]() It makes such assertions multiple times its statement of claims: "The iOS App Distribution Market is a valid antitrust market."Īpple's position is that iOS is not a market in and of itself. At a market cap of nearly $2 trillion, Apple’s size and reach far exceeds that of any technology monopolist in history." Sure, we own it but.Įpic's main legal challenge will be convincing the courts that the iOS market should be considered separately from the Android market. "Apple is bigger, more powerful, more entrenched, and more pernicious than the monopolists of yesteryear. "Fast forward to 2020, and Apple has become what it once railed against: the behemoth seeking to control markets, block competition, and stifle innovation," the complaint says. The game biz opens its legal argument by citing that ad in an attempt to highlight the irony of how Apple has transformed from freedom fighter to tyrant. The complaint's goal is to force Apple to cease its "anti-competitive conduct," or in other words, end Cupertino's iron grip of its software souk.Įpic's #freeFortnite video is a riff on Apple's famous 1984 Macintosh ad depicting rebellion against an unidentified Orwellian authority who CEO Steve Jobs at the time suggested represented IBM. ![]() ![]() The biz has even thoughtfully prepared a Press FAQ, to make sure its arguments are properly echoed.Įpic's lawsuit, filed in a federal district court in San Francisco, claims Apple's operation of the iOS App Store violates the Sherman Antitrust Act, which forms the backbone of America's antitrust law. Visit and join the fight to stop 2020 from becoming "1984" In retaliation, Apple is blocking Fortnite from a billion devices. And it did so immediately rather than giving the development house the usual two weeks to comply before exiling its app.Įpic, evidently having planned for this possibility, had its legal complaint ready to file in the US, along with a rabble-rousing blog post, a social media campaign lampooning Apple's iconic 1984 Superbowl ad, and Twitter hashtag, #freeFortnite.Įpic Games has defied the App Store Monopoly. Apple, predictably, took action against Epic Games by booting Fortnite from the iOS App Store.
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