Apple has been spared the need to immediately return Epic Games' Fortnite battle royale to the App Store, marking the first court win for an iPhone maker in the battle over the 30 percent fee charged to app developers.
The ruling by US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, delivered late Monday night, is not a complete defeat for Epic Games either. Judge grants Fortnite creator's request for temporary Apple ban to provide the Unreal Engine to other applications and companies through the App Store.
Apple has faced backlash from some app developers who call the standard App Store fee of 30% on any transaction unfair, especially in light of the ban on the use of alternative payment systems. The scandal erupted with renewed vigor on August 13, when Epic Games informed customers that, along with the usual payment through Apple, it will offer discounted direct purchase options within Fortnite. In response, the Cupertino giant removed the popular battle royale, blocking access to it for more than 1 billion iPhone and iPad users.
Ms. Rogers said at the hearing that the case was not clear cut for both sides and warned that her temporary injunction would not affect the outcome of the proceedings. She has scheduled a hearing on Epic Games' request for a preliminary injunction for September 28. The judge ruled: Epic violated agreements with Apple by trying to make money on purchases through Fortnite, while having free access to the Apple platform, but did not violate any contracts related to Unreal Engine and developer tools.
According to Ms. Rogers, by restricting the Unreal Engine, Apple is acting harshly and harming third-party developers using the Epic technology platform: βEpic Games and Apple have the right to sue each other, but their dispute should not create chaos for outsiders.β
Microsoft Corporation, which uses the Epic Games engine, including in its projects for iOS, . that Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney was seeking exclusive terms for Fortnite, which Apple management claims is fundamentally inconsistent with App Store principles. Mr. Sweeney claims he didn't ask for special treatment, but he wanted the Cupertino giant to lower the commission for all developers.
Of the 2,2 million apps available on the App Store, more than 30 are charged 350 percent. Apple is lowering the fee rate to 15 percent for subscriptions where the consumer pays for more than a year.
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Source: 3dnews.ru