Now the teeth are coming out. Apple Inc. has hit back at Epic Games Inc. with a counter-lawsuit against the software developer – intensifying the very public legal feud that could have an impact on the digital marketplace.
Epic sued Apple as well as Google last month after both tech giants yanked the popular “Fortnite” videogame from their app marketplaces after Epic introduced an in-app payment system in violation of their rules – a system that would cut out both companies from receiving the standard 30% cut of users spending.
In court documents filed Tuesday, Apple has defended its actions and has gone further – asking a Californian federal judge to award punitive damages and restrict Epic from continuing what it calls “unfair business practices”.
Apple says in its filing: “Epic’s lawsuit is nothing more than a basic disagreement over money. Although Epic portrays itself as a modern corporate Robin Hood, in reality it is a multi-billion dollar enterprise that simply wants to pay nothing for the tremendous value it derives from the App Store.”
This filing follows Epic filing a motion on Friday claiming its business has been harmed in recent weeks and is seeking to get “Fortnite” back in the App Store where the game has earned more than $600 million to date. A hearing remains scheduled for September 28th.
Apple’s App Store has about one billion customers from 175 countries and achieved $39 billion in global revenue from in-app purchases in the first seven months of this year. In August the company reached a $2 trillion market valuation.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
