- James Clayton
- BBC, North American technology reporter
After several months of threats, Epic Games goes to court before Apple.
The trial is set to begin this Monday One of the most important in historyApple. Chairman of the Company, Tim Cook, Will give his testimony as he appears for the first time in a testimony.
Is in danger It charges the future of the App Store and the developers, The largest profitable source of income for a company founded by Steve Jobs.
In August last year, the epic games set a trap for Apple.
His winning game Fortnight To implement Your own payment method In use, this excludes Apple’s 30% charge.
Apple’s Answer: Kick Epic Games Instantly from the App Store.
But that’s what Epic Games was waiting for. He fought a comprehensive lawsuit against Apple.
Epic Games has been claiming for years that Apple charges are exaggerated. Their argument is simple: Apple’s control over the App Store is anti – competitive.
Image source, Reuters
Advocates for the epic games presented documents with several boxes to defend their case in California court.
It assumes that developers have the right to develop smartphone applications without paying large sums to Apple (and to google, To your shop Google Games).
SpotFi, Match and Tile are just a few of the many companies that have pointed out that Apple charges are unfair.
It is estimated that Apple has made hundreds of millions of dollars Only with Fortnight payments.
The big argument of epic games is, if they don’t pay, where do they sell their products?
Both the App Store and Google Play dominate global app stores outside of China.
The epic game tried to sell Fortnight outside of these two stores. This opens the option to download on Android phones, avoiding a 30% charge from Google. However, some did it outside of Google Play.
Image source, Getty Images
Fortnight is one of the most successful topics in epic games.
End of Epic Games: If you want to create games for smartphones, you need to be in the App Store or Google Play.
“Apple Line”
Instead of kneeling down and accepting what they call the “Apple tax,” Epic Games decided to sue.
That’s what Tim Cook’s company has to offer Many of the App Store critics are from politics.
At a hearing in the U.S. Senate two weeks ago, lawmakers questioned Apple CEO Kyle Andre. Politicians of all colors – mostly divided – joined in his attacks against Apple.
The Democrats Amy Globuscher Y. Richard Blumenthal, Y. Laws Republicans Mike Lee and Josh Howley took up similar questions.
Senator Klobuchar said the Apple App Store “Really a monopoly”.
Last Friday, the European Union announced that it would impose a fine on Apple for its behavior in the App Store.
Image source, E.P.A.
Tim Cook is expected to be a witness at the Apple and Epic Games trial.
Epic Games has chosen the right time for the case.
The key question for the judge to answer If the App Store is an “essential installation”, A kind of public service that should not be controlled by any company.
Hopeless activist Matt Stoller thinks so.
“Everyone knows that Apple is responsible for what public rights should be. It would be easier if the judge ruled in favor of the epic. [Games], It will fix it, ”he says.
However, Apple is in a position to hire good lawyers. What is your security?
Image source, Epic Games / BBC
Epic games are seen by developers as a hindrance to the App Store and Google Play.
First, Apple invented the App Store. As a private company, you can charge whatever you want.
It also says it charges developers 30% Is the industry standard for gaming It also competes not only with Google Play, but also with Microsoft, Steam, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo.
Without the base?
Influential tech blogger John Grooper says Apple is right.
“Royal 70/30 Division This is very common across the board. One thing that really comes out about the epic game allegation is that it doesn’t record any complaints. This is all very vague, often an advertising conspiracy, not legal. “
Apple claims that its payment method is reasonable for small developers. It says 83% of apps and 76% of games are free on the App Store; Developers do not pay commissions.
Although their maximum fee is 30%, they say most developers will not pay more than 15%.
Option to pay Fortnight, the game is banned from the App Store.
Apple argues that it also spends on the security of the App Store, ensuring that the Apple ecosystem is not compromised by unreliable applications. It costs money.
However, it is known that the amount Apple spends on this process is only a small fraction of the amount it receives from developers. And critics like Matt Stoller They question how effective Apple’s investigation procedures are.
“There are all kinds of apps that have scams, and Apple doesn’t detect them. So their arguments about security and security are nonsense,” he says.
“The risk is high”
So what are Apple’s chances?
John Grooper thinks they are good: “For legal reasons, I think Apple is in very good shape. The risk is very high Because [si perdieran], Interrupting Full business model From the App Store “.
Image source, Getty Images
The only way to download apps on iOS devices is through the App Store.
Says Matt Stoller Cases of hopelessness are difficult to predict.
“America’s hopeless law is a complete mess. So we know nothing. The law basically depends on what the judge wants for breakfast.”
The trial is expected to end in the last week of May.
However, even if Apple wins, controversy will continue over how it manages its App Store.
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