No one really won in the battle royale between Apple and Fortnite

A ruling has been issued in the controversial legal battle between Apple and Fortnite creator Epic Games, but until the calls start pouring in, no one can really declare a “victory royale” on this one. (It’s a Fortnite reference.) Epic failed in its plot to tear down the walls of iOS and Apple failed in its attempt to make Epic apologize for being a bad friend, but there were still some notable decisions made. because of the lawsuit. The edge has handy writing of what this all means, but the short version is that everyone was wrong in one way or another and no one is going to get exactly what they wanted from it.

It all started last summer, with the introduction of a new payment system by Epic in Fortnite which allowed users to save 20% on V-Bucks in-game currency (used to purchase new characters and dances and so on) if purchased elsewhere than through the App Store or Google Play Store. The trick was that Apple and Google get a share of all the money they earn from in-app purchases in their stores, so by inviting users to buy their V-Bucks elsewhere, Epic was getting around that and preventing Apple and Google from getting their share. Apple saw this as a violation of App Store rules and withdrew Fortnite platform, and then – almost as if it was planned from the start, because it was absolutely –Epic immediately dropped legal action against Apple for allegedly having a “total monopoly in the market for the distribution of iOS applications”.

It was not about the money you use in Fortnite, then it was for Apple to take options away from users and app developers by controlling everything that can be loaded on an iOS device. Maybe that was fair, but Epic immediately wasted all the goodwill he could have earned for standing up for the little guy by turning it all into a marketing stunt with a goofy anti-Apple. Fortnite cartoons and a “#FreeFortnite” hashtag that tried to position it as a battle of good versus evil rather than a battle that a hugely successful business manages to keep the $ 0.30 of every $ 1 you spend.

In her ruling on Friday, however, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that it was really the money you are using to Fortnite and that Apple and Epic have been needlessly dramatic about it all. She rejected Epic’s arguments that Apple had a monopoly in the mobile gaming market – although she said its success had brought it closer to one – and decided that Apple had the right to collect a portion of purchases made on the App Store because it uses this as a “license fee”. Intellectual property law apparently says Apple is supposed to get this money sort of, and taking some of the App Store purchases (like when people buy V-Bucks) is just the easiest way to do it. On top of that, Epic must pay damages to Apple for breaking its user agreement when he slipped the new one. Fortnite payment system without telling anyone and Epic’s App Store developer account is still banned, which means there is no guarantee that Fortnite will return to iOS one day.

BuuuutApple didn’t walk away with exactly what it wanted either. The Epic team got a big victory in the form of the judge ruling that Apple’s current in-app purchasing system violates California’s unfair competition law by preventing even developers from telling users whether cheaper options are available. are available elsewhere, which means iOS apps have the right to say “you can buy it cheaper on our website” and link to that website. Everything is a bit vague, so the rules aren’t totally clear at the moment, but it looks like Apple doesn’t have to go through this process. easy, it is simply forbidden to stop it directly. So the rule Fortnite broken probably shouldn’t have been a rule, but he’s still in trouble because he didn’t bluntly say ‘we’re breaking this rule’.

For iPhone users, this means that you should one day be able to buy stuff in games on your phone without having to go through the App Store. You may never be able to play Fortnite again, because Apple might be so pissed off at Epic because of all of this, but it at least seems like good news for… literally everyone except Apple and Epic Games.