The Supreme Court shot down appeals from both Epic Games and Apple regarding their ongoing antitrust case. Per Reuters, it opted not to hear either companies’ argument about Fortnite and the App Store.
Epic originally started things by appealing the 2021 verdict requiring Apple to change how it handles third-party payments on the App Store. Last April, a court took Apple’s side and rejected the appeal.
Months later, Epic went and filed another appeal, this time with the Supreme Court. In response, Apple asked the Court to make it so it wouldn’t have to loosen its App Store restrictions.
Epic and Apple in court
The Fortnite developer has been doggedly targeting Apple the last few years. In December, Epic confirmed it launched its Coalition for App Fairness to specifically target the Mac company.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney called the Court’s tiebreaker a “sad outcome for all developers.” But he also acknowledged Apple must now let developers point customers to third-party payment options.
This goes into effect for Europe with its Digital Markets Act on March 7. To Sweeney, it shows how global policymakers “are passing new laws to end Apple’s illegal and anticompetitive app store practices.”