Apple and Epic have been in an ongoing legal battle for years. According to Judge Rogers' remarks, it appears that the Cupertino giant is set to lose. There have been various twists and turns after Apple was forced to allow users to sideload apps on the iPhone. However, Epic Games saw fit to proceed with its case in light of the ongoing tensions with Apple. The company went to court again to complain that Apple was not adequately complying with the antitrust ruling.
Apple could likely lose against Epic Games, as it was not aware of the commission calculations
According to remarks made by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, it seems that Apple will likely have to make additional changes. After Judge Rogers's previous confirmation, Apple announced that it would allow the sale of third-party apps. However, it would still take a 27 percent cut from developers and 12 percent from small developers. This became the reason why Epic Games went to court again, stating that Apple went against the Judge's orders.
So far, the case is still running and it remains to be seen if the judge will order Apple to further comply with the rulings. Here's what Bloomberg reports regarding the situation.
“It sounds to me as if the goal was to then maintain the business model and revenue you had in the past,” Rogers said to an Apple executive during a multi-day hearing to address Epic’s complaint that the iPhone maker isn’t abiding by the terms of a corrective order the judge issued in 2021.
If you are not familiar, Epic Games' main point of concern was that developers would have to pay Apple more or less the same cut even if the app is offered through the App Store or through external sources. The iPhone maker claimed that it was not aware of the calculations, even though hundreds of employees and lawyers were part of the decision.
“You’re telling me a thousand people were involved and not one of them said maybe we should consider the cost” to the developers? the judge said. “Not a single person raised that issue, of the thousand that were involved?”
Apple also claimed that from a total of 65,000 developers who are eligible to switch to the new conditions, only 38 of them have shifted. Additionally, it did not include any main developers. While the final decision will be presented in the future, it is perfectly clear from the remarks made by the judge that Apple is going down with the case. We will keep you updated on the matter, so be sure to stick around.
