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Despite Apple’s recent decision to reinstate Epic Games’ developer account in the EU, the conflict between the two tech giants continues to escalate. This time, Epic has taken a bold step by filing a lawsuit against Apple, accusing the iPhone maker of not fully complying with a court order issued in 2021. The order allows developers to bypass the App Store’s 30% commission by introducing alternative links.
In a pivotal moment of the legal battle in 2021, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers issued an order that Apple must allow developers to direct users to payment systems other than the App Store. This significant move enables developers to avoid the 30% commission to Apple. At the time, the judge concluded that Apple’s existing payment policies violate California’s Unfair Competition law.
Apple still wants a commission from payments not made through its App Store
In a significant turn of events, Apple’s appeal was denied by the US Supreme Court in January, compelling the tech firm to revise its App Store guidelines to align with the court order. However, Apple’s announcement that it still intends to collect a commission from payments made through alternative gateways underscores the gravity of the situation.
Developers entitled to the App Store Small Business must pay a 12% commission, while others should pay 27%. At the time, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said these new policies were “anticompetitive.”
Epic’s filing with a federal court on Wednesday argues that Apple is not complying with the court order as it still charges developers a commission for payments not made through the App Store.
Apple said it had complied with the court order, denying Epic’s allegations
The gamer maker is demanding the court to keep Apple accountable for “failure to properly comply with a court order to open its App Store to outside payment options.” And its new policies that make those alternative links “commercially unusable.
In response, Apple said it had complied with the injunction by letting developers add alternative payment gateways. It also said developers can now “communicate with customers through points of contact obtained voluntarily from customers through account registration within the app.”