Apple says Epic’s Fortnite payment plan is “a steal, period.”

Apple is on its way to attack Its ongoing legal battles with Epic Games Via the iOS version of It is an electronic game. in a A broad proposal was made Tuesday afternoon, Apple defended itself against legal charges brought by Epic as well It is an electronic game Maker of breach of contract and total theft with counterclaim.

Apple wrote: “Although Epic portrays itself as a modern Robin Hood company, it is in fact a multi-billion dollar organization that simply does not want to pay anything for the enormous value it gets from the App Store.”

Who pays for what?

In its statutory filings, Epic is seeking in part to provide what it calls “competitive payment processing on iOS” by circumventing the in-app purchase system built into the iOS App Store. Epic tried to do this unilaterally last month Added discounted Epic Direct payments option to iOS version of It is an electronic game, Which is the step that led Apple will completely block Epic from the App Store.

Besides being a breach of contract, Apple says in its move that Epic’s addition of direct payments was a “Trojan horse” amounting to “little more than theft.” Using a “Hotfix” update method that has been deliberately hidden from the usual App Store review process, Apple says that Epic “sought to enjoy all the benefits of Apple’s iOS platform and related services while [lining] Epic pockets on Apple’s account.

Later in the move, Apple said that Epic’s introduction of direct payments in the game was “a theft, period.”

Epic happily agreed to Apple’s contractual terms to gain access to iOS development since 2008, Apple writes, and grossed over $ 600 million in App Store sales in that period. The fact that Epic no longer accepts this deal “does not provide cover for Epic for breaching binding contracts, deceiving a long-time business partner, and pocket commissions that belong to Apple legitimately, then asking this court to take a hammer to one of the most innovative business platforms of the 21st century Twenty just because it doesn’t maximize Epic revenue. “

Apple adds that the 30 percent iOS sales commission that Epic tried to bypass is much more than a simple fee to process payments. Instead, these fees reflect the “enormous value of the App Store, which exceeds the sum of its parts and includes Apple’s technology, tools, and software for application development and testing, marketing efforts, customer service on the platinum level, and developer distribution.” Applications and digital content. This includes more than 150,000 APIs. Created by Apple to facilitate iOS development, the company has written, plus Metal Graphics API Praised by Epic itself in the past.

“The App Store is not a public tool,” Apple wrote in a letter to Epic in July in response to Epic’s request. Epic does not have the right to reap “all the benefits that Apple and the App Store provide without having to pay a penny,” the company said.

No, you cannot own your own app store

in a His recent deposits, Epic says it “does not seek to compel Apple to provide distribution and processing services for free, nor does Epic seek to enjoy Apple services without payment for them.”

Instead, Epic says it would like “the freedom not to use the Apple App Store or IAP, and instead use and provide competing services” on Apple devices, only. It is also possible on Windows PC. This is not possible, though, due to what Epic says is Apple’s monopoly control of the market for all iOS software.

Apple says directly in its move that it is “not a monopoly on any relevant market” and that “competition both inside and outside the App Store is fierce at every level: for devices, platforms, and individual apps.” More than that, though, Apple says a requirement that all iOS purchases pass through the App Store infrastructure is necessary “to ensure that iOS apps meet Apple’s high standards for privacy, security, content, and quality.”

Apple cites Epic’s own example on other platforms as evidence of this necessity. When I started Epic Distribute the Android version of It is an electronic game Independently in 2018, Apple wrote that “sites that didn’t just advertise Android appeared immediately It is an electronic game But also distributed malware in the game. ” Safety Weaknesses In the independently distributed Android version as proof that its iOS protection is essential.

“Although Apple is not leaving it to any developer to keep iOS safe and secure, Epic in particular has demonstrated that it cannot be assigned this kind of responsibility,” Apple wrote.

In addition to compensatory and punitive damages related to breach of contract and other related violations, Apple is seeking an injunction barring Epic from continuing to use its external payment processing mechanism at Existing versions of the iOS version of It is an electronic game Or future applications.