The judge has ruled in the Apple vs. Epic case. In a blow to Apple, the court has issued a💃 permanent injunction allowing third-party payment options for ap🌼ps sold on the App Store.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers' ruling means Apple is "permanently restrained and enjoined from prohibiting developers from including in their apps and their metadata buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms, in addition to In-App Purchasing and communicating with customers through points of contact obtained voluntarily from customers through account registration within the app."
The injunction goes into effect on December 9 unless Apple appeals to a higher court. However, Apple's statement to following the ruling certainly made it seem like Apple is pleased with the outcome.
“Today the Court 🌳has affirmed what we’ve known all along: the App Store is not in violation of antitrust law,” said an Apple spokesperson. "We remain committed to ensuring the App Store is a safe and trusted marketplace.”
In her ruling, Judge Gonzalez-Rogers said that "Epic Games failed in its burden to demonstrate Apple is an illegal monopolist." However, "the trial did show that Apple is engaging in anticompetitive conduct under California's competition laws."
The Judge said that such anti-competitive behavior required a "nationwide remedy," hence the injunction. Apple's App Store is allowed to continue to operate and still take its 30% cut of every app sold, but once installed, apps can direct users to pay for additional in-app transactions using its own payment platform.
Epic filed suit against Apple last year alleging that its App Store amounted to an illegal m🦩onop𒀰oly that stifled competition and led to higher prices. The suit led to an airing of dirty laundry from the two companies, including how a naked banana ♏became a point of contention in court.
However, it seems the tide has turned against Apple. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:South Korea recently passed a law enshrining the right of developers to bypass app stores for in-app purchases, while the US Senate 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:is considering a similar law. Apple 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:even offered a settleme▨nt to a 📖previous lawsuit that would allow all developers to bypass the App Store's 30% cut for in-app purchases.
Today’s ruling will have huge implications for the tech industry and especially mobile gaming, which is a $100 billion ꦛannual industry.