Fortnite

US Supreme Court declines to hear appeal of App Store case

Digital Markets Act will allow access developers to bypass App Store payments system
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Image: Epic Games

17 January 2024

The US Supreme Court will not hear the appeal of the App Store antitrust case taken against Apple by Epic Games.

The case dates back to 2021 and revolved around Apple’s failure to allow app developers to inform users about alternative payment systems. Epic wanted to avoid what it considered Apple’s high commissions.

At the time, the court did rule that Apple had acted anti-competitively and Apple should henceforth allow developers to provide links to their websites for taking out subscriptions or in-app purchases. That has not been implemented to date, however, because Apple wanted to wait for the appeal.

 

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Apple, by the way, was not required to allow the game Fortnite back into the App Store. The tech giant had removed that game from its app store because Epic bypassed Apple’s payment systems. Apple also did not have to open up iOS to alternative app stores or allow sideloading of apps.

Epic chief Tim Sweeney called the court’s decision, which was not explained, “disappointing for all developers.

Apple does have to start allowing alternative app stores and sideloading later this year in the EU under the Digital Markets Act.

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