Epic Games brings its antitrust feud with Apple to Europe’s competition watchdog – By Saqib Shah (Endgadget) / Feb 17 2021
The developer is also challenging Apple in the US, UK and Australia.
Fortnite maker Epic Games is taking its battle against Apple’s App Store practices to Europe. The games studio has filed a complaint with the EU’s competition watchdog alleging that Apple’s deliberate use of anti-competitive restrictions on the iOS ecosystem has harmed competition in app distribution and payment processes. Epic adds that Apple is benefiting while blocking rivals and that its conduct amounts to an abuse of power, putting it in breach of EU competition law.
The dispute between the two companies, which dates back to September, has seen Epic file several complaints against Apple across three continents. It began when Apple and Google removed Fortnite from their respective app stores after Epic added direct payments to the battle royale game.
Epic responded with a lawsuit in California alleging that Apple’s prevention of alternative payments that bypass the 30 per cent commission it applies to purchases through the App Store is anti-competitive. The developer has since filed similar complaints in Australia and the UK. Its latest action adds to the pressure Apple is facing in Europe, where the European Commission has already launched several antitrust investigations into its App Store practices for music streaming, ebooks and in-app purchases, with a separate probe scrutinizing its approach to mobile payments.
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