Apple has to explain to EU regulators how its blocking decision complies with the requirements of the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Recently, Apple released iOS 17.4 by allowing users to download apps and games from third-party app stores — Epic was also preparing its own alternative, but given that it’s the developer’s account was unexpectedly blocked again the plans are still on hold.
Apple initially explained its decision by the unreliability of» Epic — and in response claimed that it violated the DMA and tried to prevent «from serious competition. It seems that we should expect the next court battles in the series «Apple vs. Epic Games». Moreover, the European Commission has already taken an interest in Apple’s blocking decision and requested additional clarifications, Bloomberg reports. Only a week ago, the company fined in the EU for almost $2 billion due to the deterrence of competitors following a Spotify complaint.
The new EU Digital Markets Act aims to make digital markets fairer and more competitive, and introduces strict requirements for companies such as Apple, Google, Amazon, and Meta — in case of violation, fines can reach up to 10% of the company’s total annual revenue worldwide and 20% for repeated violations.
The European Commission has also stated that it is checking whether Apple’s behavior contradicts other digital rules on transparency for business users.
The conflict between Apple and Epic started in 2020, when the latter added its own payment system for the virtual currency Fortnite and bypassed the 30% commission for purchases in App Store programs. Apple denied Epic access to its app store, which eventually led to a series of lawsuits.
«Epic’s gross breach of its contractual obligations to Apple has resulted in the courts determining that we have the right to terminate any or all of Epic Games’ subsidiaries», Apple said in a statement. «In light of Epic’s past and current behavior, Apple has decided to exercise this right».