This Monday, a five-month federal trial began in the case of Epic against Apple and Google, alleging that both companies have engaged in anticompetitive and unfair conduct in the operation of their respective stores of applications and in-app payment systems.
As you may remember, Epic Games applications were banned from app stores worldwide in 2020, after the company made its own in-app payment option available in the popular game Fortnite, avoiding the fees that both Apple and Google charge for in-app purchases in digital content.
In its 2024 case, Epic argues that it should be able to offer its own store in competition with Apple’s App Store and offer alternative payment options within its app in its Games Store.
What is Epic Games accusing Apple of?
Apple has argued that allowing methods to install applications on iPhones outside of the App Store poses a risk to user security, and that there would be a greater risk of fraud if customers were allowed to purchase digital content in applications outside of Apple’s in-app payment system.
In his initial allegations about the case against Apple, Epic Games’ lawyer, Neil Young, stated that both justifications “do not withstand the scrutiny” of an impartial expert agent.
Regarding payments, Young highlighted that if someone is buying physical goods through an app, developers can use their own payment system to avoid incurring the fee that Apple currently charges for digital purchases.
He said that this was done because it benefits Apple, because Apple cannot control the actual delivery of physical goods.
He also said that there were many exceptions to the restrictions on in-app payments, such as allowing people to consume content purchased outside of an app within an app, as long as the user can also purchase that content within the app using Apple’s payment system.
Epic’s lawyers will present on Tuesday the arguments of the gaming platform against Google in the continuation of the initial allegations. It is expected that the court will hear the initial allegations of the first two weeks of the case, which will last 16 weeks.
