A federal district court judge found that Apple willfully violated a court order in Epic Games vs. Apple antitrust case.
Tim Sweeney, Epic Games’ CEO, tweeted about the court victory, saying “NO FEES on web transactions. Game over for the Apple Tax.”
If Sweeney is correct in his interpretation of the ruling, it could be a lucrative outcome for Epic Games, whose Fortnite has been banned by Apple in the U.S., largely because of the litigation.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Apple said, “We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court’s order and we will appeal.”
He said that “Apple’s 15% to 30% junk fees are now just as dead here in the United States of America as they are in Europe under the Digital Markets Act. Unlawful here, unlawful there.”
U.S. District Court judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers held Apple in contempt of her prior court ruling. She wrote, “For the reasons set forth herein, the court finds Apple in willful violation of this court’s2021 injunction which issued to restrain and prohibit Apple’s anticompetitive conduct andanticompetitive pricing. Apple’s continued attempts to interfere with competition will not betolerated.”
Sweeney noted that the case has been going on for four years, four months and 17 days.
“We will return Fortnite to the US iOS App Store next week,” said Sweeney. “Epic puts forth a peace proposal: If Apple extends the court’s friction-free, …