Australia Moves Epic Games Antitrust Lawsuit Against Apple Forward

The antitrust lawsuit initiated by Epic Games against Apple was given the green light to move forward by the court in Australia in a ruling that overturned the original decision to put the case on hold, 9 to 5 Mac reported on Friday (July 9).

Apple originally blocked the Australian suit, maintaining that the issue was previously decided in the US courts. It’s anticipated that Apple will try to have this new decision by the Australian courts overturned as well. 

Epic Games has accused Apple of having a monopoly advantage over iOS apps and further charged that the iPhone maker leveraged that power for its own gain and sidestepped competition, the news outlet reported. 

The digital gaming company — which is the creator of the popular and iconic online video game Fortnite — pointed to specifics that developers have no choice but to pay Apple a commission as high as 30 percent. Apple also doesn’t allow app platforms to use alternative payment methods nor does it communicate to users that there are other avenues to get a subscription, according to 9 to 5 Mac.

Epic Games already filed a US suit against Apple in November of last year with both companies weighing in, but the case has yet to be decided. The gaming platform launched its case in Australia last November stating that Apple abuses its market power and further curtails competition relating to app distribution and payments.

Ahead of the US antitrust lawsuit in April, both companies laid out their arguments separately to the court. Epic Games had been pursuing a legal disagreement with Apple that started last year. Epic had tried then to find a workaround to Apple’s high commission fees. Apple moved to remove Fortnite from its App Store. The Australian lawsuit launched by Epic against Apple was initiated in March.