Epic Games Files EU Antitrust Complaint Against Apple Over App Store Policies
Though the Epic Games spat with Apple quieted down some, that does not mean the war is over. We are slowly creeping toward the May court date, where the two companies will face off before a judge. In the meantime, Epic Games is taking the battle across the pond after filing an antitrust complaint against Apple in the European Union.
Epic Games published a blog called Europe Free Fortnite today, sparking a movement in efforts to “advance fairer digital platform practices for developers and consumers.” The complaint filed with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition alleges “anti-competitive restrictions” imposed by Apple. In the complaint, Epic Games effectively stated, “Apple uses its control of the iOS ecosystem to benefit itself while blocking competitors and its conduct is an abuse of a dominant position and in breach of EU competition law.”
Furthermore, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney explained that “Consumers have the right to install apps from sources of their choosing and developers have the right to compete in a fair marketplace. We will not stand idly by and allow Apple to use its platform dominance to control what should be a level digital playing field.” Ultimately, this rhetoric follows the complaints from the Coalition for App Fairness and other companies who filed around the same time Epic did.
Effectively, this new complaint only adds fuel to the fire as, according to Epic Games, “the European Commission is already investigating Apple’s abusive conduct.” We will have to see if anything comes of the investigation or due process conducted when the trial happens soon. In any case, expect more details to emerge about the situation shortly, so keep an eye on HotHardware for updates.
