The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected the claims filed by Epic Games in which he accuses Apple of violating federal antitrust law.
The appeal was filed following a 2021 ruling made by federal Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Roggers, which determined that, although Apple prevented users from paying less for apps or in-app purchases, it was not running the App Store as a monopoly.
“Resounding victory.”
The three-judge panel in court upheld much of the ruling: the App Store is not a monopoly.
“There is a lively and important debate about the role market-powered online transaction platforms play in our economy and democracy,” the panel wrote in the decision. “However, our job as a federal appeals court is not to resolve that debate, nor could we even attempt to do so. Instead, in this decision, we faithfully apply existing precedent to the facts.”
Those in Cupertino opined on this verdict and considered it a “resounding victory.”
“Today’s decision reaffirms the resounding victory for Apple in this case, with 9 of 10 claims decided in favor of. Apple. For the second time in two years, a federal court ruled that. Apple complies with antitrust laws at the state and federal level,” a spokesman said.
“The App Store continues to promote competition, drive innovation and expand opportunities. We are proud of its profound contributions to both users and developers around the world. We respectfully disagree with the court’s ruling on the one remaining claim under state law and are considering further review,” he also ref.
Epic Games is not happy
Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, posted a message subsequent to the appeals court ruling.
“Apple prevailed in the Ninth Circuit Court. Although the court upheld the ruling that the restrictions of Apple have “a substantial anticompetitive effect that harms consumers,” they found that we did not prove our Sherman Act case,” he says.
“Fortunately, the court’s affirmative decision rejecting the provisions against the direction of Apple frees iOS developers to send consumers to the web to do business with them directly there. We are working on next steps,” he also added.
In the original lawsuit, the judge did go so far as to ask the Apple to allow developers to have alternative payment systems, which it is beginning to do in some sectors of the world.
We recommend METADATARPP’s technology podcast. News, analysis, reviews, recommendations and everything you need to know about the technological world.
