Apple will seek damages against Epic Games for allegedly breaching its contract with the iOS App Store, in a new escalation of the two companies’ ongoing legal fight. The allegation was entered on Tuesday, alongside counterclaims for unjust enrichment and tortious interference with Apple’s relationship with its customers.
Apple is seeking monetary damages as part of the claim, although the precise amount is not specified in the filing.
?Epic’s lawsuit is nothing more than a basic disagreement over money,” the tech giant said in its filing with the District Court of the Northern District of California. “Although Epic portrays itself as a modern corporate Robin Hood, in reality it is a multi-billion dollar enterprise that simply wants to pay nothing for the tremendous value it derives from the App Store.” Apple revealed in the filing that Epic has made more than $600 million from the App Store.
Apple is now effectively taking things a step further by asking the court to hold Epic liable for its actions. It’s asking that the studio repay all the money it collected when it gave Fortnite players the option to bypass the App Store’s payment mechanisms. It’s also asking for a permanent injunction against Epic’s external payment system.
Apple removed Fortnite from the iOS App Store in August, and a recent ruling on a temporary restraining order made it unlikely the game will return until the trial is completed. The same ruling enjoined Apple from taking additional action to remove Epic’s internal testing tools, including those supporting the Unreal Engine.
A hearing between the two companies is currently scheduled for later this month.
