- A judge has ruled that Apple made a “willful violation” of past orders
- Apple must immediately change its App Store rules
- That means that Fortnite could imminently return to the App Store
Apple and Fortnite developer Epic Games have been going through a very public spat over the past few years, with much of the disagreement centered on fees that Apple charges apps for running on its platforms. Now a judge has ruled that Apple deliberately flouted a court-ordered injunction – and it could result in Fortnite dramatically returning to the App Store.
The court order in question stated that Apple must allow third-party developers to tell their users that they could get cheaper deals by buying apps on different websites or app stores – that is, by going somewhere other than the official App Store.
However, the judge who presided over that case has now declared that Apple undertook a “willful violation” of the order. That’s because while Apple allowed developers to link to external app stores, it still charged a commission on these purchases, and also kept a tight rein on how these off-site links could be worded and presented.
The judge ruled that this was a continuation of the anti-competitive practices that the original injunction sought to prohibit and has told Apple to immediately change its App Store practices.
Apple now cannot prevent developers from telling users about external app stores, cannot dictate where external links are placed or how they are worded, and cannot charge a commission on sales made outside its own App Store.
For its part, Apple has told MacRumors that “we strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court’s order and we will appeal.” Clearly, this whole saga is far from over.
What does this mean for you?
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this case is the way it might affect the game at the heart of it all: Fortnite. The mega-popular title has been banned from the App Store ever since Apple declared that Epic Games was trying to circumvent Apple’s commission. Soon, though, it could make a dramatic comeback.
That’s because Epic Games’ CEO Tim Sweeney recently took to X to announce that Fortnite will return to the App Store “next week.” At the same time, Sweeney announced a “peace proposal” that could end the dispute with Apple once and for all.
In Sweeney’s words, “If Apple extends the court’s friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework worldwide, we’ll return Fortnite to the App Store worldwide and drop current and future litigation on the topic.”
The original ruling only applied to the U.S. App Store, hence Sweeney’s suggestion that Apple should apply the new rules across the globe. If Apple does, we could be in for a major shake-up of the App Store – with Fortnite leading the way.
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alexblake.techradar@gmail.com (Alex Blake)
