Apple maintained that Epic Games lost the court trial because the false accusation of anti-competitive conduct did not convince the presiding judge.
Legal representatives of Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Epic Games are set to continue the ongoing legal dispute in the United States Court of Appeals. Each party aims to reverse September 2021, when US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Apple’s anti-steering was anti-competitive. More count charges were ruled in favor of the giant tech company. The two-year-old legal suit started when Epic Games enabled Fortnite players to purchase directly from the app against the in-app purchase rules. In response to this, Apple removed the Epic Games application from the App Store, triggering the video game company to file for an antitrust lawsuit.
Unfortunately, Epic Games lost the lawsuit to Apple. It appears the court orders did not sit well with Epic Games, as the company appealed to the court. It intended to make the court approve using third-party app stores and other application enlisting methods on iOS devices. However, Apple only allowed app developers to link external payment websites to the applications. The iPhone maker has also filed for an appeal, maintaining rigid App Store rules. The appeal filed by Apple is cause for fresh court debates with Epic Games. While Epic Games believes that the district court made multiple legal errors, Apple argues that its challenger is trying to divert the court’s attention from the original case scenario. The video game company maintains that the legal errors resulted in an inappropriate conclusion.
Generally, Apple is well known for its tight software security on its iPhone vices. Apple claims that sideloading or installing an alternate app store will infiltrate this security. Epic Games has successfully pulled up the availability of alternate app stores for Apple’s Mac devices. The video game company believes that Apple failed to permit the use of alternate app stores to avoid competition for customers.
Apple Continues Legal Lawsuit with Epic Games in Court of Appeals
In a recent filing, Apple maintained that Epic Games lost the court trial because the false accusation of anti-competitive conduct did not convince the presiding judge. Epic also replied in retaliation that Apple had made radical claims about the antitrust law. The company added that there is no reason why Apple should appeal for a ruling overturned. Apple has claimed not to be involved in anti-competitive behavior, adding that App Store rules are not partial. It also stated that the district court did not have the power to implement an injunction against the App Store and made an error trying to do so.
Interestingly, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the State of California will be granted the opportunity to present a legal framework for evaluating antitrust claims against Apple. The DOJ’s argument will not support any of the involved parties. Also, the Department has raised concerns about how the lower court interpreted the Sherman Act of the US antitrust laws. Other issues include misunderstanding the market and Apple’s monopoly. The started with Tom Goldstein, the legal representative of Epic Games. The preceding judges were Sidney R. Thomas, Milan D. Smith Jr., and Michael J. McShane.
