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The Epic Games lawsuit against Apple opens this Monday in a court in San Francisco. The publisher of the very popular Fortnite video game criticizes the iPhone manufacturer for anti-competitive practices.
It is an event that will be closely scrutinized by many tech companies. Senior officials, including Apple boss Tim Cook and Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney are expected in person at the trial.
Epic Games accuses its opponent of abuse of dominance. The video game publisher claims that the commissions charged by Apple on most transactions, as well as on applications downloaded through the Apple Store are too high. These commissions range from 15 to 30%.
For the complainant, the iPhone manufacturer thus benefits from a monopoly on the market for applications distributed on its smartphones and tablets. Epic Games therefore accuses him of being judge and party and of favoring his own apps.
The Californian firm retorts that the sums required are of a standard level and that they ensure the proper functioning of the platform, especially in terms of security.
In the past, Epic Games had tried to get around Apple by offering its users an alternative to its payment system. An attempt immediately sanctioned by the apple brand which has excluded video games of its platform for breach of contract.
The case now exceeds their litigation. Other companies like Spotify or Deezer consider Apple’s practices to be unfair.
Let us add that Apple was accused last Friday by the European Commission for similar reasons: that of distorting competition in the online music market, and that of abuse of a dominant position to oust rivals.
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