Still fending off App Store regulatory scrutiny, Apple has officially appealed last month’s ruling in its courtroom confrontation with Epic Games. Photo Credit: Laurenz Heymann
Apple attorneys confirmed the appeal in a brief notice, after CEO Tim Cook underscored that the maneuver was forthcoming. The concise filing doesn’t dive into the iPhone developer’s exact position here, but it does emphasize that the arguments will zero in on the court’s April 30th approval of Epic’s injunction-enforcement motion.
We explored the ruling (which took effect at once, appeal or not) in detail immediately after it was handed down. Keeping the focus on the order’s impact, however, Fortnite quickly returned to the App Store, and Spotify promptly received approval for a fresh version of its iOS app.
The music platform also described those pricing and payment changes on social media as well as in a dedicated blog post. “After nearly 10 years,” CEO Daniel Ek applauded on X, “Spotify can now show pricing + direct purchase links in our app for U.S. users. This is a huge win for consumer choice and tech innovation.”
In other words, there’s quite a lot riding on Apple’s appeal for Spotify and different companies, and it’ll be worth monitoring the legal showdown (besides adjacent disputes) in the coming months.
First, the European Commission slapped Apple with a more than half-billion-dollar fine last month for allegedly violating the Digital Markets Act. One of several penalties handed down against the company in the EU, the decision elicited criticism and an appeal pledge from Apple.
At the intersection of these points – intensifying App Store scrutiny on multiple continents – Epic certainly isn’t letting its foot off the regulatory gas. When addressing Apple’s EU fine to close out April, Epic made clear its belief that “[n]ow is the time to follow through” on the Open App Markets Act in the States.
We took a look at the bipartisan legislation, which would impose a variety of new requirements on both the App Store and Google’s Play Store, at the time of its 2021 introduction.
Last week, Punchbowl News reported that one of the lawmakers behind the Open App Markets Act, Senator Richard Blumenthal, intended to reintroduce the bill. Though a timetable isn’t set in stone, the senator touched on a possible goal of getting the ball rolling before Memorial Day (Monday the 26th).
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Apple Appeal Official Following Epic Games Injunction Ruling – Digital Music News
