Tech giant Apple has fired back at Epic Games by filing a legal complaint claiming that the Fortnite developer's arguments were "self-righteous" and "self-interested".
In its legal complaint against Epic Games, Apple denied that its 30% commission in the app store was anti-competitive and said the conflict was "a basic disagreement over money". The tech firm also claimed that the developer violated its contract and asked for damages.
Epic Games' legal complaints
In its first filing, Epic Games alleged Apple of effectively running a monopoly in both deciding what apps can appear on iPhones and demanding that its own payment system, with the relatively high 30% cut, be used.
The game developer referenced an Apple ad in 1984, saying: "Apple has become what it once railed against: the behemoth seeking to control markets, block competition, and stifle innovation."
Another injunction was filed by Epic against Apple after the latter threatened to remove the video game creator from its developer program on August 28. It claimed that it will be “irreparably harmed” by being completely removed from Apple’s developer program.
Its removal from the developer program means that its Unreal Engine, a popular graphics tool widely used by third-party developers of other games, films and virtual reality, will also be included in the ban, forcing the other developers to find an alternative tool.
A US court ruled that while Apple may opt to retain its ban on Epic Games’ Fortnite, it cannot remove the video game company’s developer accounts or compromise its Unreal Engine graphics tool, which is widely used by third-party game developers.
The judge said this would apply until a full hearing can be held on September 28.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Epic had not proven that Apple’s decision so far had caused the "irreparable harm" it claimed in its legal papers. However, she also wrote in her ruling that Apple had "chosen to act severely" by threatening to block the Unreal Engine, which is widely used by others.
Judge Rogers said: "Epic Games and Apple are at liberty to litigate against each other, but their dispute should not create havoc to bystanders."
However, she argued that Epic had "strategically chosen to breach its agreements with Apple," regarding the issue with Fortnite.
Apple's legal filing
According to Apple, it would allow Fortnite back into the app store if Epic would comply with its developer agreement and remove the direct payment feature.
However, the game developer has refused, arguing that compliance with Apple's request would be "to collude with Apple to maintain their monopoly over in-app payments on iOS."
In the filing, Apple mentioned how Epic benefited from Apple's promotion and developer tools, earning more than $600 million through the App Store. It also accused Epic of seeking a special deal prior to its breach of contract with the update.
Apple stated: "Although Epic portrays itself as a modern corporate Robin Hood, in reality it is a multi-billion dollar enterprise that simply wants to pay nothing for the tremendous value it derives from the App Store."
