Epic Games Says Court 'Reached the Wrong Answer' and Made 'Multiple Legal Errors' in Apple Fight

The Appeal Reply and Cross-Appeal Response Brief was filed by the company today, after Apple filed an appeal in March.

Many of the same arguments that it made during the trial are repeated in the filing. The company believes that the district court reached the wrong answer and made a number of legal errors.

The Mac App Store is where apps can be downloaded outside of the Mac App Store, which Apple claims would compromise the security of the iPhone. The only consequence of support for alternate app stores would be that Apple would have to compete for customers.

Apple also asserts that the relief Epic seeks will compromise the security of the iPhone. But that is untrue. The operating system Apple uses in its Mac computers ("macOS") does not include the challenged restraints found in the iPhone operating system ("iOS"), and Apple consistently touts the Mac's security. Apple also permits multiple alternative payment solutions in the App Store for apps selling physical goods, confirming that the requirement to use Apple's in-app payment solution, IAP, for digital goods serves no procompetitive goal. If Epic prevails, the App Store would not be dismantled. No customer would ever be required to use any of the things Apple complains about--an alternative app store, direct downloads for app distribution, or an alternative payment solution. The difference is that Apple would have to compete for its customers.

There are alleged errors made by both Apple and the court in the rest of the briefing. For those who are interested, it can be read in full over on Scribd.

Additional briefs will be submitted by Apple andEpic Games before the court decides on a date to hear the arguments. We will continue to hear about the dispute between Apple and Epic Games for another year at a minimum, because Apple is expecting a decision by summer 2023.

Until the legal battle has been settled, Apple will not be reinstating the developer account for the game. There are other ways to play the game, as it can be played on the browser on the ios, or on the iPad through support for Microsoft's cloud gaming platform.