Epic Games vs Apple and Google: Lawyer Shares Thoughts On Lawsuit

Epic Games’ decision to sue Apple and Google simultaneously shook the world. The lawsuit seemed like a retaliation after Apple removed Fortnite from its store. But now, we know Epic Games was planning this all along. The theatricality of making a parody of an old Apple ad was on point, and their message was loud and clear. Epic filed a similar lawsuit against Google too.

All this took place in a matter of 24 hours and understandably, confusion ensued. So, here we have a lawyer who breaks down the whole situation and helps us understand exactly what is going on.

Thanks to ‘TheFortniteGuy, here we have Dan Pulse, a lawyer who breaks down the whole situation and helps us understand exactly what is going on. This is the same guy who got Waffles un-banned after his encounter with Epic, so he definitely knows what he is talking about.

He is a lawyer in the state of Pennsylvania and explains to us what exactly went down.

“If you look at the complaints against Google and Apple they are pretty identical. They allege a violation of the Sherman Act and the California Cartwright Act,” he says.

Both these acts prohibit monopolistic trade policies, the formation of cartels and trusts, etc. According to Epic, the two companies are violating it.

Also Read: Epic Games Vs Google and Apple: Whose Side Are You On?

Lawmaker on Epic Games vs Apple and Google

Dan further explains some interesting points that are vital to the legal battle.

“What Epic is trying to do is essentially stop that monopoly and the 30% revenue share with the two companies. Epic is not seeking monetary compensation for this and just want an injunction. The damages currently claimed are just $75,000 that will just cover the attorney costs and legal fees.

“This is not the first company to go against Apple and Google. Netflix, Spotify, and Tinder have all been very vocal about the companies taking 30% of their revenue. They push their users to go through their site and pay them directly rather than paying through the stores.”

This is absolutely true. Spotify had quite a tussle with Apple last year because Apple was charging them for transactions and still promoting Apple music.

Apple levies a 30% tax on apps that have a place in its store. Epic, in an attempt to bypass this, introduced a different method of payment for its users, which is what prompted Apple to take action.

“There have been 133.2 million downloads of Fortnite on Apple and $1.2 billion are already spent.”

“Apple chooses 30% so obviously Google says they can too. However if both these companies combined came down to a lower number, no one will quote 30%. That’s the ‘monopoly’. They are completely controlling the market and there’s no way anybody can compete with them because of the power they have.”

“Apple and Google are being hurt way more than Epic is”

When asked who will win the case, he says, “Right now, Apple and Google are being hurt way more than Epic is. There are billions at stake for them and I think it’s gonna be a matter of time till they back down. As I mentioned, this is bigger than just Epic. There are other companies now ready to take a stand against them.

“Epic is in good hands with this lawsuit. One of their attorneys is a lawyer who ran the Justice Department’s antitrust division during the Obama administration. At this point, it could turn into a class-action lawsuit against the companies. Very much so.”

So, the major takeaway here is that Apple and Google are definitely on the back foot as there are multiple prospects who can go against them. This will be a defining lawsuit for the industry and things may change drastically on the other side of it.