telecommunications
San Francisco (dpa) – Apple has failed in a first attempt to postpone the easing of the app store rules ordered by a court ruling.
The iPhone company wanted to prevent app developers from being given the right to use links or buttons on their applications to refer to payment options outside of Apple’s platform as early as December 9th. The group wants to make another attempt for a postponement at an appeals court, as the company announced on Wednesday.
The verdict came at the beginning of September in the process between Apple and Epic Games, the company that created the online game “Fortnite”. The current decision comes from the same judge as then.
Apple argued that the change threatens to harm consumers and the integrity of the app store platform. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers did not accept this, however – and neither did Apple’s view that the company had a good chance of overturning its judgment in the lengthy appeals process. She emphasized, among other things, that Apple wanted an indefinite postponement instead of just asking for more time to implement the new rules.
Apple had largely prevailed in the Epic process. But the judge also ruled that Apple can no longer prohibit developers from advising users of ways to buy the items outside the app store at a lower price.
Apple basically allows the purchase of digital goods – such as virtual items in game apps – via the in-house payment platform. A fee of 15 or 30 percent is due to the group. Apple argues, among other things, that the process would protect users from attempted fraud and misuse of their data. Some app developers criticize that the levy is unjustifiably high.
Over the past few weeks, dispute has emerged over how the judgment can be interpreted. Apple warned that some developers, from the company’s point of view, interpreted the judge’s decision too generously and wanted to pack entire alternative payment processes behind the links. As the company argues, this could allow malicious developers to misuse user data, while Apple could not prevent this.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 211110-99-939457 / 3
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