Apple Wins Epic Court Battle While Ceding Ground on App Store
Apple Inc. notched another victory in its long-running court battle to block Epic Games Inc. from breaking down barriers in the App Store, but the iPhone maker's moneymaking fortress remains under siege.
Years of complaints from app developers and scrutiny from governments globally have already forced Apple to rewrite some of the rules protecting its dominance in the $160 billion app distribution marketplace — and more changes are on the way. But the overall impact on Apple's bottom line and hold on the App store is likely limited, with the fees it charges not changing.
While Epic, the maker of the popular Fortnite game, on Monday lost an appeals court fight to lift Apple's ban on third-party app marketplaces on its operating system, the intense pressure coming from rivals including Spotify Technology SA and subscription app makers like Match Group Inc. has opened up the App Store like never before in its 15-year history.
Apple App Store Policies Upheld by Court in Antitrust Fight
Apple to Allow Outside App Stores in Overhaul Spurred by EU Laws
A collective push forced the European Union and other markets to implement laws such as the Digital Markets Act that will require Apple to redesign the architecture for its software to support third-party app download stores and increased interoperability with rival apps and services.
Legislation known in Washington as the Open App Markets Act failed last year amid ramped-up defensive lobbying by Apple, but Spotify's CEO has this year continued his crusade against the iPhone maker in the US capital.
What Bloomberg Intelligence Says
“US antitrust threats to Apple's business model will continue through 2023, even though passage of intrusive new laws has become less likely given gridlock in
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