Fortnite' Maker Epic Games Extends Legal Battle With Apple to Europe
February 17 2021 - 2:29AM
Dow Jones News
By Valentina Pop
BRUSSELS -- "Fortnite" game developer Epic Games Inc. has filed
an antitrust complaint against Apple Inc. in the European Union,
broadening its continuing legal battle after filing similar
lawsuits in the U.S., Australia and the U.K.
At the core of the legal dispute is how much control and revenue
share technology giants should have in relation to popular apps.
The online game "Fortnite" was kicked out of both Apple's App Store
and Alphabet Inc.'s Google Play Store last year after Epic
introduced a payment system that effectively cut off both companies
from the 30% share of users' spending that they had charged
Epic.
Epic has sued both Apple and Google for alleged monopolistic
behavior in the U.S., and Apple countersued.
In Europe, Epic's legal complaint joins plaintiffs including
music-streaming service Spotify Technology SA that have prompted a
formal investigation into Apple's alleged anticompetitive
behavior.
"What's at stake here is the very future of mobile platforms,"
said Epic founder and Chief Executive Officer Tim Sweeney. "We will
not stand idly by and allow Apple to use its platform dominance to
control what should be a level digital playing field."
Mr. Sweeney said that while the legal case filed in Europe
targets Apple, "the broad outlines...are equally applicable to
Google, though the timing may be different."
Apple couldn't be immediately reached for comment. The company
has previously dismissed Epic's lawsuits as "a basic disagreement
over money" and said the complaints that prompted the EU's
antitrust investigation last year were baseless.
The European Commission -- the EU's executive arm -- didn't
immediately comment on Epic's complaint.
The similar cases Epic has filed against Apple in the U.K. and
Australia also allege abuse of dominance. The game maker's U.K.
lawsuit last month against Google likewise accuses the search giant
of abuse of dominance and anticompetitive behavior on its Play
store.
Google said in response to the lawsuits in the U.S. and U.K.
that Epic violated rules applying to all developers that use the
Play store, adding that the company would continue discussions with
Epic about bringing "Fortnite" back to the store.
In Europe, Epic claims that Apple blocked "Fortnite" updates in
retaliation for Epic having given users the option of paying
directly via the app instead of with Apple's own payment system,
Apple Pay. When Apple launched its own games-distribution service,
Apple Arcade, it barred competitors from doing the same, Epic
alleged in its complaint.
Apple's operating system, iOS, "should be open to competing
stores," said Mr. Sweeney, adding that iPhone users and app
developers shouldn't be restricted to using Apple Pay but that
other payment systems should be equally permitted. When launching
the investigation last year, the European Commission said it would
look into how Apple Pay is the only service allowed on the
no-contact payment system built into Apple devices.
Write to Valentina Pop at valentina.pop@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 17, 2021 02:14 ET (07:14 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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