Epic Games announced on Wednesday that it has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple before the European Commission, which is the executive arm of the European Union.
In a complaint filed with the commission’s directorate general of competition, the Fortnite developer said the 30% reduction Apple makes in App Store purchases is anti-competitive.
Epic said Apple “has not only harmed, but completely eliminated competition in the application distribution and payment processes,” adding that it “uses control of the iOS ecosystem to benefit itself.” while blocking competition “.
The European Commission told CNBC that it had received the complaint and would assess it based on its standard procedures.
Epic launched its own in-app payment system last summer to try to avoid paying the 30% commission Apple gets from in-app revenue. In response, Apple removed Fortnite from its App Store and revoked the Epic developer license.
“Epic enabled a feature in its app that was not reviewed or approved by Apple, and they did so with the express intent of violating the App Store guidelines that apply equally to all developers and protect customers, “Apple said in a statement shared with CNBC. “Their reckless behavior turned pawns into customers and we hope to make that clear to the European Commission.”
Apple also claimed that its App Store has helped developers turn their ideas into apps, adding that Epic has been one of the most successful developers in the App Store and has become a multimillion-dollar business that reaches millions of iOS clients.
Epic has also filed complaints with U.S. and Australian competition regulators and has taken Apple to the UK Competition Court.
The two companies are scheduled to fight it in a U.S. court in May, and Apple CEO Tim Cook has been ordered to attend a seven-hour deposition.
“What’s at stake here is the very future of mobile platforms,” Tim Sweeney, founder and CEO of Epic Games, said in a statement. “Consumers have the right to install applications from the sources they choose and developers have the right to compete in a fair market. We will not stand idly by and allow Apple to use its platform domain to control what it should be a uniform digital playing field. “
Sweeney added: “It’s bad for consumers, who are paying inflated prices due to the lack of competition between stores and processing payments from the app. And it’s bad for developers, whose livelihoods they often depend on Apple’s complete discretion as to who will allow the iOS platform and on what terms. “
Epic isn’t the only company to have complained about Apple’s App Store. Music streaming giant Spotify filed a complaint alleging that Apple unfairly wields its revenue, while Rakuten Kobo subsidiary and messaging app Telegram also complained about Apple’s cut in sales of e-books.
Last year, the European Commission launched an investigation into whether Apple is violating competition law by causing app developers to use its in-app payment system.
Apple took a victory in the United States on Tuesday, when North Dakota rejected a bill that would regulate app stores.
The North Dakota state Senate voted 36-11 not to approve a bill that would have required app stores to allow software developers to use their own payment processing software and avoid fees charged by Apple and Google.