原文標題：
Apple can no longer force developers to use in-app purchasing,
judge rules in Epic Games case
原文連結：
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/10/epic-games-v-apple-judge-reaches-decision-.html
發布時間：
PUBLISHED FRI, SEP 10 202111:36 AM EDTUPDATED MOMENTS AGO
原文內容：
KEY POINTS
-Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers handed down a decision in a closely-watched
trial between Apple and Epic Games on Friday.
-Rogers issued an injunction that said that Apple will no longer be allowed to
prohibit developers from providing links or other communications that direct
users away from Apple in-app purchasing.
-Apple won on 9 of 10 counts but will be forced to change its App Store
policies and loosen its grip over in-app purchases.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers handed down a decision in a closely-watched
trial between Apple and Epic Games on Friday.
Rogers ordered an injunction that said that Apple will no longer be allowed
to prohibit developers from providing links or other communications that
direct users away from Apple in-app purchasing, of which it takes 15% to 30%
of gross sales.
The injunction addresses a longstanding developer complaint and suggests the
possibility that developers could direct their uses to their website to
subscribe or purchase digital content, hurting Apple’s App Store sales.
The decision concludes the first part of the battle between the two companies
over Apple’s App Store policies and whether they stifle competition. Apple
won on 9 of 10 counts but will be forced to change its App Store policies and
loosen its grip over in-app purchases.
Apple stock dropped 2% in trading on Friday.
The trial took place in Oakland, California in May, and included both company
CEOs testifying in open court. People familiar with the trial previously told
CNBC that both sides expected the decision to be appealed regardless of what
it was.
Since the trial ended but before the decision was handed down, Apple has made
several changes to mollify critics, some as part of settlements with other
app developers, including relaxing some rules about emailing customers to
encourage them to make off-app purchases and allowing some links in apps.
Rogers wrote in the decision that she disagreed with both Apple and Epic
Games over the framing of the market Apple allegedly dominates. Rogers found
that it was “digital mobile gaming transactions,” not control over App
Store apps, as Epic Games had alleged, nor was it all video games, as Apple
had claimed.
Epic Games is among the most prominent companies to challenge Apple’s
control of its iPhone App Store, which has strict rules about what is allowed
and not, and requires many software developers to use in in-app payment
system, which takes between 15% to 30% of each transaction.
Epic’s most popular game is Fortnite, which makes money when players buy
V-bucks, or the in-game currency to buy costumes and other cosmetic changes.
Epic wasn’t seeking money from Apple— instead, it wanted to be allowed to
install its own app store on iPhones, which would allow it to bypass Apple’s
cut, and impose its own fees on games it distributed. Epic Games CEO Tim
Sweeney had chafed against Apple’s in-app purchase rules as early as 2015,
according to court filings and exhibits.
But the public clash between the two companies started in earnest in August
2020, when Epic implemented a plan to challenge Apple called “Project
Liberty,” according to court filings.
Epic Games updated Fortnite on its servers to reduce the price of its in-game
currency by 20% if players bought directly from the company, bypassing Apple’
s take, and violating Apple’s rules on steering users away from its in-app
payments.
Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store, meaning that new users could not
download it and that it would eventually stop working on iPhones because the
app could not be updated. As it planned, Epic then filed a lawsuit that
culminated in May’s trial.
At the trial, Apple CEO Tim Cook testified on one of the last days, and faced
pointed questioning from Judge Rogers over its restrictions on steering users
to make purchases off-app,
“It doesn’t seem to me that you feel any pressure or competition to
actually change the manner in which you act to address the concerns of
developers,” Rogers said.
Epic Games also sued Google over its control of the Play Store for Android
phones. That case has not yet gone to trial.
心得/評論： ※必需填寫滿20字
這一個政策正反兩極
支持的人覺得你不想被賺就不要來賺錢啊
反對的人認為蘋果藉由數位壟斷壓迫開發商配合
大家覺得如何?
1)蘋果受委屈了
2)蘋果才沒有輸
3)機構趁發表會壓價吃貨