Epic Games Starts Lawsuit Against Apple in Australia
Epic Games has obtained its struggle against Apple abroad by submitting a legal claim against the technology giant in Australia. This legal claim is yet another development in the ongoing legal dispute between the Fortnite programmer along with also the Cupertino, California-based tech firm over commissions made in the App Store. Specifically, Epic Games tried to present a way for players to buy the in-game money of V-bucks straight from Epic itself, rather than spending 20 percent more if purchased through the App Store where Apple would require a 30% earnings cut.
From the thirteen-page legal filing — filed in the Federal Court of Australia — Epic Games asserts that the choices over in-app banning and purchases Fortnite from the App Store breaches the Australian Consumer Law and different sections of the Competition and Consumer Act, particularly Section 46 which was added in 2017 following a 2015 review to Australian consumer safety legislation. This section is meant to prevent companies that hold a massive quantity of power like Apple from engaging in anti-competition functions.
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The legal filing reads:”Apple’s behavior has hindered or prevented, and continues to hinder or prevent, Epic and other program developers and in-app content payment suppliers from competing or efficiently competing in the iOS App Distribution Marketplace and the iOS In-App Payment Processing Market.” In its own announcement, Epic Games has reiterated that its struggle against Apple is for the interest of smaller developers and consumers.
In a FAQ published together with the announcement, Epic Games clarified that it wasn’t filed actions against Google in Australia. The Cary, North Carolina-based programmer also emphasized that other companies including Amazon, Grubhub, McDonald’s, and StubHub are allowed by Apple to use their particular in-app payment methods, while companies and games like Epic are restricted from this clinic. Whether the Unreal Engine programmer is likely to make a transfer against Google is yet to be seen, considering that Google itself has distanced its own case from Apple’s situation.
Although the dispute between Epic Games and Apple/Google has attracted about some amusing developments such as”Free Fortnite” product and an advertisement from Epic parodying Apple’s famous”1984″ commercial, there are serious consequences that could stem from the Australian authorized filing. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will release a report detailing its investigation to Apple and Google’s app shops in March 2021, with this instance set to inform the ACCC’s review.
While the American trial between Epic Games and Apple won’t occur until May 2021, starting legal proceeding within an Igbo country which has comprehensive consumer protection legislation has become the next step in the dispute. This case will be the first test for your App Store in Australia, together with Section 46 of the Competition and Consumer Act being invoked. It’s unknown when the Australian hearing will happen.
