Apple-Epic Case: iPhone-Maker Appeals to Overturn Ruling It Was ‘Very Happy’ With

A US district judge in September had largely ruled in Apple's favor against Epic after a weeks-long trial.

By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 9 October 2021 10:37 IST

Apple-Epic Case: iPhone-Maker Appeals to Overturn Ruling It Was ‘Very Happy’ With

Photo Credit: Reuters

Apple was barred by the earlier verdict from restricting developers to use third-party payment systems

Highlights

Apple appealed judge's verdict in its legal battle with Epic Games
Epic Games last month filed its own appeal
Apple earlier said it was "very happy" with the decision

Apple on Friday appealed a federal judge's verdict in its legal battle with Fortnite-maker Epic Games over control of the App Store. Apple is asking the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to overturn the 185-page ruling by US District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers.

The judge ordered Apple to loosen control of its App Store payment options, but said Epic failed to prove any antitrust violations.

Epic last month filed its own appeal.

"We will fight on", Epic chief executive Tim Sweeney tweeted when the company confirmed its plan to contest the verdict.

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Apple said in the days after the ruling by Gonzalez-Rogers that it was "very happy" with the decision but had left open the door to appeal.

The companies had opted for a so-called bench trial in which a judge rather that a jury hears the evidence and decides on a verdict.

Epic launched the case aiming to break Apple's grip on the App Store, accusing the iPhone maker of acting like a monopoly in its shop for digital goods or services.

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"For me, it is a win for Apple in that the judge clearly said they are not engaging in monopolistic behavior," Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi said after the verdict.

"I don't think it is a problem for Apple from a revenue perspective."

The judge barred Apple from prohibiting developers from including in their apps "external links or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms."

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Apple can still mandate that its payment systems is used for in-app transactions.

This week on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, we discuss iPhone 13, new iPad and iPad mini, and Apple Watch Series 7 — and what they mean to the Indian market. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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