Apple vs Epic Games Reignites In Court: Force Apple to Approve Fortnite Again, Epic Games To Judge

Epic Games is stepping up the fight with Apple over legal issues by asking a federal judge to force the tech giant to allow Fortnite back onto the U.S. App Store. In a recent filing, Epic requested that Judge Gonzalez Rogers order Apple to permit any version of Fortnite to be submitted for distribution in the U.S. The long-standing legal battle with Apple over its monopolistic control of the App Store and exorbitant fees has dominated headlines. Even though Epic received a favourable ruling recently, indicating that Apple is in contempt of an injunction, the gaming company now claims Apple is stalling the process of restoring access to Fortnite as a means of punishing legal confrontations.

Apple’s Refusal Sparks Legal Push

Epic now appears to be on the offensive. In its most recent motion, the company argued that Apple was strategically keeping Fortnite out of the U.S. App Store after winning an earlier decision that could permit them to launch the game. A few weeks ago, Judge Rogers declared that Apple was, in what was considered to be "willful", ignoring an injunction regarding anti-competitively pricing the services. Epic believes this allows them to put back Fortnite and, this time, offer payment services that are different from the platform's dominant one.

That is not the viewpoint of Apple, as they are filing an appeal stating that there will not be any Fortnite submissions accepted until the Ninth Circuit decides on Apple’s request for a partial stay of the injunction. Epic stated Apple is retaliating as the iPhone maker is “punishing” them and making it impossible for other developers to stand up against their policies.

Global Fallout and Disputes Over Blame

Epic has also blamed that Fortnite will stay offline for iOS for the rest of the world, so that includes US and Europe Epic Games Store, unless Apple removes the blockade which is against Apple’s stand. Apple does counterclaim that “we only asked Epic Sweden to withdraw the US storefront in order of submission of the contested ruling which means keeping Fortnite accessible in other markets.”

Apple is however, also claiming that not responding to the Fortnite app submission is a malicious obstruction, considering the version submitted fulfils all the current requirements of the App Store. Epic did share a document from Apple’s legal team claiming that, “we will not act atop the block.”

Broader Implications for the App Store

Epic's filing contends that the fight expands beyond Fortnite. With the monopoly restriction on the app, Epic argues that Apple is violating the competition and freedom that the court has sought to enable from a legal standpoint. Through the barrier, Apple is creating a dangerous precedent for the rest of the developers.

This new round of legal battles will likely change the lasting landscape, not only for Epic and Apple, but for the entire digital marketplace and the App Store’s policies of management.