Prime Highlights:
- Fortnite has returned to iPhones and iPads in the U.S. after a four-year absence following a legal fight with Apple.
- The return comes after a court decided Apple broke antitrust laws, prompting it to modify its App Store policies.
Key Facts:
- Fortnite was pulled in 2020 following Epic Games implementing its own payment system, circumventing Apple’s fees.
- Apple willfully disregarded an injunction safeguarding developers’ rights to notify users of alternative payments, a federal judge determined.
- Apple has now cleared Fortnite’s return, releasing it again for U.S. users.
Key Background:
In 2020, Epic Games changed Fortnite to enable direct payments within the app without Apple’s traditional 15-30% commission on purchases. This prompted Apple to ban Fortnite from its App Store, which led to a high-profile lawsuit by Epic alleging that Apple was engaged in anti-competitive behavior.
The case came to a head last week with a ruling by a federal judge in the U.S. who held Apple “willfully” in contempt of an earlier injunction order that compelled Apple to permit developers to inform users of alternative payment methods. The court declared Apple can no longer charge commissions on payments made outside its ecosystem or prevent links to other means of payment. The judge also hinted at the potential for criminal contempt sanctions against Apple executives for willfully ignoring the court’s orders.
This being the case, Epic Games renewed the app’s submission for approval to come back to the App Store. Apple eventually approved the app after going back and forth, and Fortnite is back in the App Store on iPhones and iPads in the United States. Epic publicly commemorated its return, ending a four-year hiatus.
Fortnite has been accessible on other platforms in other parts of the world like the European Union, where competition laws for digital platforms have compelled Apple to open up for alternative app stores. This comeback marks a significant change in the way digital platforms are run, with a focus on regulatory action to curb platform monopolies and enhance developer and consumer freedom.
This trend also highlights increasing pressure on large technology firms to change business models that have traditionally limited competition and domination over the delivery of digital content.
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