On Monday, the legal fight instigated by Epic Games against Apple ramps up on Monday with decisions that could influence the future Apple’s App Store and Google’s knockoff in the U.S.
U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will decide whether to force Apple to let battle royale video game Fortnite back into the App Store with Epic’s in-house payment option. She will also rule if Apple can block third-party apps using Epic’s Unreal Engine development software.
Most legal experts expect the judge to extend her temporary injunction for Unreal Engine, but not reinstate Fortnite in the Apple App Store…
At stake is Apple and Google’s ability to charge fees of up to 30% to developers using their app stores… Some developers deride this an unfair and unwarranted tax. Epic and its Founder Tim Sweeney have led the backlash this year…
If the court forces Apple to keep distributing Unreal Engine, that could be positive for the iPhone maker. The decision would let other games that use the tools continue distributing their software via Apple’s platform, resulting in a 30% cut for each sale or in-app purchase. However, Apple argues that the continued distribution of Unreal Engine by what it considers to be a rogue developer could harm consumer security.
MacDailyNews Take: Epic Games wants all of the benefits afforded by Apple’s App Store for free. One question: How much did it cost developers to have their applications burned onto CDs, boxed, shipped, and displayed on store shelves prior to Apple remaking the world for the better for umpteenth time?