In a major antitrust victory for Epic Games, the Federal Court of Australia ruled on Tuesday that tech giants Apple and Google engaged in anti-competitive behavior and abused their market dominance over app distribution.
Court Delivers Mixed Antitrust Verdict
Presiding Judge Jonathan Beach concluded that both technology companies leveraged their dominant market positions to unfairly restrict competition in mobile app distribution. According to ABC News, the ruling provides a critical legal breakthrough for third-party developers challenging big tech infrastructure. However, the decision stopped short of a total legal victory for Epic Games, as Judge Beach rejected additional claims that Apple and Google engaged in “unconscionable conduct.”
Fortnite Set to Return to Australian Devices
This Australian decision marks another chapter in Epic Games’ worldwide legal strategy against steep in-app purchase fees. Following a landmark U.S. court win against Apple earlier this year, Fortnite successfully made its return to the U.S. App Store after a five-year exile.
The Australian judicial outcome paves the way for a similar market re-entry. In response to the decision, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney stated that both the Epic Games Store and Fortnite will soon be available to mobile users across Australia.
Tech Giants Push Back on Billing Findings
Despite the court’s ruling on market power, both defendents emphasized the areas where the judge sided against Epic’s broader demands.
“We welcome the court’s rejection of Epic’s demands that we distribute app stores from within the Google Play store, and Epic’s attacks on other critical security protections that users rely on. However, we disagree with the court’s characterisation of our billing policies and practices, as well as its findings regarding some of our historical partnerships,” a Google spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Apple also defended its marketplace operations, telling ABC News that the App Store remains the safest and most secure venue for consumers to download software, while confirming its disagreement with the court’s findings on Epic’s claims.
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