Apple Accuses Epic Games of Wanting a 'Free Ride'

Apple and Epic Games are facing disconnected successful Australia among different countries, and this week, Apple accused ‌Epic Games‌ of seeking a "free ride" connected its platform. In a connection to MacRumors, Apple said that it volition proceed to combat for a ruling that respects its intelligence property.


"Epic is present asking to escaped thrust connected Apple's level and dismantle each safeguard we've enactment successful spot to support users and developers -- a petition that goes good beyond the Court's ruling. We volition proceed to question an result that respects our intelligence spot and protects the safe, unafraid acquisition consumers and developers expect from our platform."
For context, ‌Epic Games‌ sued Apple successful Australia mode backmost successful 2020, accusing the institution of violating contention laws. In August 2025, Australia's national tribunal partially sided with Epic, deciding that Apple's rules prohibiting sideloading and alternate outgo methods did so interruption the Competition and Consumer Act.

The tribunal hasn't decided connected however it volition code Apple's anti-competitive behavior, but ‌Epic Games‌ wants the tribunal to licence sideloading connected iPhones successful Australia, with nary fees paid to Apple.

Apple believes that Epic's petition goes beyond what the tribunal declared successful its August ruling. While the justice said Apple's anti-sideloading rules violated contention law, the ruling besides acknowledged that Apple has the close to beryllium paid for its technology, and that Apple's information and privateness concerns are a valid crushed to prohibit third-party app stores.

Apple and ‌Epic Games‌ had a lawsuit absorption proceeding connected October 17 up of further hearings that volition find the measures that are enactment successful spot to code Apple's alleged violation. ‌Epic Games‌ has submitted its projected remedies, and the tribunal volition present see the arguments made by ‌Epic Games‌ and Apple.

An archetypal remedies proceeding is acceptable to instrumentality spot successful December, but the afloat alleviation proceeding has been postponed until March 2026 to springiness Apple much clip to see and respond to what ‌Epic Games‌ has proposed.

While nary determination has been reached, the archetypal ruling suggests that Apple could beryllium forced to let sideloading and alternate outgo options successful Australia, akin to what's happened successful the European Union with the Digital Markets Act. Apple is acrophobic that the tribunal volition scope a determination that could make privateness and information concerns for consumers and exposure them to accrued risk.

‌Epic Games‌ has claimed that Fortnite will yet beryllium returning to iOS successful Australia arsenic a effect of the ruling.
This article, "Apple Accuses Epic Games of Wanting a 'Free Ride'" archetypal appeared connected MacRumors.com

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