Epic Games lost the appellate court case against Apple and is now required to pay all legal expenses

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in the United States has upheld a decision made in 2021 in the legal battle between Apple and Epic Games. The developer of Fortnite was unable to prove Apple's monopolistic behavior and lost on 9 out of 10 accusations. Bloomberg reported on the court's official document.

The court concluded that Apple does not have monopolistic control over transactions in mobile games. The only accusation in which Epic Games proved its point was related to one of California's antitrust laws. Now, Apple cannot interfere with app developers on iOS platforms directing users to third-party services for making purchases.

Epic Games will have to pay the legal expenses incurred by Apple in the case. Within two weeks, both companies may file a motion for reconsideration in the appellate court. If the motion is denied, Epic Games will have 90 days to file a complaint with the US Supreme Court.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney commented on the court's decision, confirming that the company was unable to prove its point. Nevertheless, they are already working on their next steps. Apple, in turn, called this decision a "huge win."

The legal battle between Epic Games and Apple began in the summer of 2020 when the developer added the option of direct purchases in the mobile version of Fortnite, bypassing the App Store and Google Play commission. In response, Apple and Google removed the game from their app stores, and Epic Games filed a lawsuit accusing the companies of violating antitrust laws.