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August 14, 2020The creator of the video game Fortnite has sued Apple for the way it operates its App store, accusing the Cupertino giant of exercising monopoly power. Epic Games has asked a federal judge to order Apple to stop its "anti-competitive conduct" and to cancel the tech giant's rules that require app developers to pay 30% of transactions to do business on the App Store.The lawsuit was filed the same day Apple withdrew Fortnite from the online market, after Epic added a payment system that allowed player transactions to bypass the App Store system, saving money in the process. "Apple has become what it once criticized: the giant that seeks to control markets, block competition and stifle innovation - argues in the lawsuit - Apple is bigger, more powerful, more entrenched and more pernicious than the monopolists of the past. "says Fortnite, which announced the lawsuit with a video parody of Apple. The company founded by Steve Jobs has been at the center of numerous criticisms in recent months for its strong control over the app store, which is the only way to acquire apps on its popular mobile devices.
The Silicon Valley giant claims its location is necessary to keep apps and their users safe from hackers and scammers, saying the 30% commission it charges on transactions is legitimate to take care of the store. However, Epic accuses Apple of irrationally restricting trade. Epic also specified that it does not want money or leniency, but instead asks the court for the App Store rule to be changed for all developers. Fortnite has been downloaded by around 350 million people around the world since its launch in 2017, with players having to survive the search for weapons and resources by eliminating their competitors in the virtual world. "Apple imposes unreasonable and illegal restrictions to completely monopolize both markets and prevent software developers from reaching more than a billion users of their mobile devices unless they go through a single Apple-controlled store," said the promoter. cause.