A federal judge ruled on Friday that Apple can no longer prohibit individual developers from offering their own independent payment options in the iOS App Store. However, the same judge did not declare a monopoly by Apple, which frustrated one of the main points of Epic Games’s lawsuit.
This is a short version of the verdict Epic Games vs. Apple, It was delivered at the District Court of Northern California on Friday morning.Both sides get Some What they want, which could lead to many major changes in the way the modern mobile market conducts business.
According to the prohibition clause, developers of the iOS app store no longer need to always go through the payment process through Apple’s system. Apple is no longer allowed to delist or otherwise punish the manufacturers of applications that include options for customers to pay directly to these manufacturers, such as external links.
These changes will take effect for 90 days until December 9th, unless blocked by a higher court.
However, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers did not rule in support of Epic’s argument that Apple’s control of the App Store is sufficient to qualify as a legal monopoly. The judge did rule that Epic supports Epic because, under California law, Apple engages in “anti-competitive behavior,” but did not find that Apple’s process is monopolistic.
Epic Games, headquartered in Bellevue, North Carolina, originally filed a lawsuit against Apple in August 2020. Testimony during the May trial revealed a lot of information that would normally be kept secret, such as Microsoft’s personal sales on Xbox, which made it a technology A big story in the circle.
Epic is the main publisher and developer behind the popular free games Fort night, And the popular Unreal Engine software.although Fortress night It can be downloaded and played for free on all its available platforms, and players can choose to purchase additional Fort nightThe game currency, V-Bucks, is used for real currency.
V-Bucks can be exchanged for exclusive but decorative items in the game, such as special costumes or character animations. The sales and use of V-Bucks are the main methods Fort night Make money, it is said Brought in 9 billion U.S. dollars Epic during 2018 and 2019.
According to the current terms of the App Store and Google Play, both storefronts will automatically extract 30% of all revenue generated by the app or generated within the app. In addition, as part of the terms of service, any application with in-game purchases, such as V-Bucks, must go through storefont’s payment system.
The 30/70 split, which has been the industry standard for all digital storefronts for many years, has historically plagued Epic CEO Tim Sweeney (Tim Sweeney) Wrong wayThis is why the Epic Games Store was launched in 2019, but to provide developers with an important part of the 88/12 split.
In August 2020, as Epic called “Free plan,” it implemented a 20% price reduction on each version of V-Bucks Fortress night, But only for players who go directly to Epic for sales. Users who pass through Apple or Google will not get a lower price.
As one might expect, both Apple and Google were immediately delisted Fort night From their respective stores. Epic subsequently filed separate lawsuits against the two companies, accusing them of antitrust and anticompetitive behavior.
Google’s lawsuit eventually became a story, and it revealed a staggering number Crazy accusations against Google. It has not yet entered the trial stage.
On the contrary, the Apple suit may have started to tear down the walls around the iOS garden, so to speak. Apple has previously used its control of store rules to formulate some incredible specific policies, such as the one used last year to prevent Microsoft from directly launching the Apple version of Xbox Game Pass.
Now, other big companies can theoretically bring their apps directly to the iOS market without going through Apple’s system. According to CNBC, the ruling caused Apple’s stock price to plummet by 2% on Friday.
Today’s ruling is not a victory for developers or consumers. Epic is fighting for fair competition between the in-app payment method of 1 billion consumers and the app store. https://t.co/cGTBxThnsP
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) September 10, 2021
It’s hard to see this as a victory for any company. Epic had hoped to force Apple to relax its restrictions completely, but it did not materialize. The judgment also found that the sale of “Project Liberty” violated Apple’s terms of service. Epic must pay Apple a fee equivalent to 30% of the revenue from selling V-Bucks on iOS since August last year. It adds up to more than 3.5 million U.S. dollars.
However, it does open the door for big companies to bypass Apple’s iOS products altogether.Any mobile game that offers in-app purchases, such as Valve’s Dota UnderlordIf players contact their developers directly, they can now offer cheaper prices or other benefits, which in theory could cost Apple billions of dollars.Epic get something Out of this.
According to reports, an Epic spokesperson told NPR Friday morning late The company plans to appeal the decision.