Crybabies: Apple Accuses ‘Fortnite’ Developer Epic Games of Trying to ‘Micromanage’ Its Business

In a recent court filing, Apple has asked a judge to deny Fortnite Developer Epic Games’ motion accusing the tech giant of violating a 2021 injunction related to its App Store practices.

Engadget reports that the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Epic Games took a new turn as Apple responded to Epic’s recent motion filed last month. Epic had asked a California judge to hold Apple in contempt for alleged violations of a 2021 injunction that required the company to allow developers to provide external payment options, bypassing Apple’s App Store fees of up to 30 percent.

In the latest court filing, as reported by Reuters, Apple maintains that it has acted in compliance with the injunction and accuses Epic of attempting to “micromanage Apple’s business operations in a way that would increase Epic’s profitability.”

The tech giant argues that the purpose of the injunction was to make information about alternative purchase options more readily available to developers and users, not to dictate the commercial terms on which Apple provides access to its platform and services.

The dispute stems from Apple’s introduction of new App Store guidelines for developers in January, which allow linking to external websites for purchasing alternatives but require developers to obtain Apple’s approval and pay a commission of 12-27 percent for these transactions.

Epic had previously argued that these conditions make alternative payment options “commercially unusable” and accused Apple of violating the spirit of the injunction with its recent moves.

Apple, however, maintains that it has complied with the injunction and that Epic’s motion is an attempt to interfere with its business operations. The company stated in the filing, “The purpose of the Injunction is to make information regarding alternative purchase options more readily available, not to dictate the commercial terms on which Apple provides access to its platform, tools and technologies, and userbase.”

Read more at Engadget here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.