The App Store case, which has been going on for years between Apple and Epic Games, has been brought to the agenda again with a new judicial process. This legal conflict, which started with a secret update to Fortnite in 2020, is still not over despite the passage of time. The parties have faced each other in court many times since then. Finally, Apple appealed once again to cancel the decision made in April 2024.
Apple claims that Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’ decision exceeded legal limits and upset the trade balance. The petition of appeal emphasizes that the judge presiding over the case unauthorizedly expanded the scope of the decision taken in 2021. However, according to Apple, the judicial decision interferes not only with the company’s policies but also with its constitutional rights. For these reasons, the company wants the case to be transferred to another judge or the decision to be annulled entirely. Besides all this, it should not be forgotten that Apple has presented similar objections on this issue in previous years.
Apple is extending the lawsuit process to avoid losing control over the App Store
One of Apple’s main objections is mandatory regulation of alternative payment systems in the App Store. The judge’s decision obliges Apple to allow third-party payment options and not charge commissions on those transactions. However, Apple argues that this both harms its revenue model and endangers user security. Epic, on the other hand, thinks this policy is unfair for developers. Both sides follow the process strictly without stepping back in their arguments. For this reason, each new hearing in court causes previous allegations to come to the agenda again.
In its appeal, Apple clearly states that the court’s decision is “an intervention that exceeds legal standards.” Accordingly, the judge expanded the decision dated 2021, considering that Apple’s blocking of alternative payment systems was “unlawful”. But Apple argues that this comment undermines its business rights and threatens internal control. In addition, the petition of appeal contains clear statements that constitutional and civil law provisions have been violated. What is remarkable is that this situation has the potential to affect not only Apple but all platform providers with a similar structure.
Epic Games, on the other hand, wants this decision to be maintained, arguing that users should be offered alternatives in their payment systems. According to Epic, Apple’s current commission rates create a serious burden for developers. In this context, demands that a more flexible structure should be established in the App Store are coming to the agenda again. Apple insists that such changes pose serious risks in terms of application security and user experience. This difference of opinion makes the case less a technical dispute and more a fight over the fundamental principles of the digital economy. The parties’ discourses have become increasingly strategic at this point.
Bringing the case back to court means that the decision in 2024 is in effect. However, Apple claims that the implementation of this decision could have serious legal and commercial consequences. On the other hand, Epic describes this effort of Apple as just an attempt to gain time. It seems that both sides are willing to prolong the process in order to get a result in their favor. In this case, which is currently at the appeal stage, a final decision is not expected in the short term. However, it is thought that every new decision may affect industry-wide practices.