Apple wins partial appeal victory against Epic Games

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Apple’s long-running antitrust saga with Epic Games just hit a dramatic new chapter, and Tim Sweeney is treating the moment like a victory lap. 

Shortly after a Ninth Circuit appeals panel smacked down Apple’s contempt appeal, the Epic CEO told me the ruling “completely shuts down” Apple’s ability to tack on what he calls “junk fees” to app developers. 

Cue the confetti cannons, at least in Epic’s office.

The decision stems from Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’s 2021 order requiring Apple to let developers link to outside payment methods. 

According to Sweeney, today’s ruling affirms that Apple dragged its feet on that requirement, turning what should have been simple payment links into a bureaucratic obstacle course, 27 percent fees, plain-text-only links, and enough friction to start a small fire.

But the appeals court added an interesting twist: Apple can charge something, just not the eye-watering percentages it wanted. 

Instead, the judges suggest Apple should only recoup costs “genuinely and reasonably necessary” to review apps using external links. 

In other words, actual labor, not a surprise tithe. Sweeney even says he’s fine with “several hundred dollars” for app review work. 

What he rejects is anything that smells like a cut of developer revenue. “There’s no justification,” he insists.

This ruling arrives as Fortnite enjoys a long-awaited homecoming on the US App Store after nearly five years in exile. Globally, regulators are also forcing Apple to loosen its grip. 

Europe’s Digital Markets Act has already enabled Epic to launch its own mobile store there. 

Sweeney believes the Ninth Circuit opinion will accelerate similar reforms worldwide: “Why would any self-respecting country allow Apple to charge fees a US court found illegal?”

And Apple isn’t the only titan facing pressure. Fortnite also reappeared on Google Play today after Epic and Google reached a global settlement. 

Sweeney even praised Google’s new Android leadership for “turning over a new leaf,” which in tech-speak is basically a standing ovation.

For now, Epic is racking up court wins, Fortnite is back on mobile, and Apple’s “junk fees” are looking less immortal than ever.