App Store illustration.

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Patrick Semansky / AP / SIPA

The standoff continues.

Epic Games, the publisher of the Fortnite game, will attempt on Monday to convince a California judge that Apple must immediately put its games back on the App Store, although the publisher has for several weeks bypassed the iPhone manufacturer's commissions, which he considers “tyrannical”.

This hearing is a step in the legal battle between the two Californian groups.

The judge will have to decide whether or not Apple should put Fortnite back on the App Store, without waiting for the outcome of a larger trial.

Charges of abuse of a dominant position

Epic Games accuses Apple of levying a "tax" far too high (30%) on consumer transactions made via the App Store.

Apple has explained on numerous occasions that this commission is used to ensure the proper functioning of the App Store and the safety of users.

Epic Games in August tried to bypass the payment technology of iOS, Apple's operating system, and sued the tech giant, which it accuses of abusing a dominant position.

Apple immediately removed Fortnite from the App Store, a decision then validated by the American justice system, and now asks Epic Games to pay "damages as compensation and punishment".

The Crusade of the "App Equity Coalition"

But Epic Games is no longer alone in this crusade, and has joined forces with a dozen companies, including Deezer and Spotify.

Gathered under the banner “Coalition for App Fairness”, they want to change the regulations on app stores.

They accuse the operators of mobile platforms - mainly Apple (iOS) and Google (Android) - of being both judges and parties and of crushing the competition by promoting their own products.

The way Android works, however, allows users to get apps from other online sites.

The clash comes as Apple has made selling digital content and subscription services a priority to the billion people around the world who use iOS devices.

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