Australian Court Rules Against Apple and Google in App Store Antitrust Case: A Win for Epic Games

In a significant victory, gaming company Epic Games has challenged the app store policies of tech giants Apple and Google, with the Federal Court of Australia ruling on Tuesday that both companies have engaged in anti-competitive practices.

Judge Jonathan Beach determined that the tech titans had leveraged their dominant market position for app distribution to hinder competition, although he dismissed Epic’s accusations of unscrupulous behavior.

Epic Games has been actively contesting the fee structure for in-app purchases across multiple global jurisdictions. A significant triumph against Apple was secured this year in the U.S., resulting in Fortnite’s reinstatement on Apple’s U.S. App Store after a five-year absence.

The Australian court ruling may prompt a similar outcome for Epic: CEO Tim Sweeny expressed optimism that the Epic Games Store and Fortnite would soon be available on the Apple App Store in Australia.

In response to the verdict, Google issued an emailed statement asserting its opposition to Epic’s demand for third-party app stores within the Google Play store, while also disagreeing with the characterization of Google’s billing policies and practices, as well as certain historical partnerships.

Apple, on the other hand, maintained that its app store offers the safest platform for users to acquire apps and disputed the court’s ruling on some of Epic’s claims.