play nice — Apple World Today

On Aug. 13,  Epic Games introduced a new direct payment option in the Fortnite app for iPhone and iPad, allowing players to purchase 1000 V-Bucks for US$7.99 rather than $9.99 through Apple’s in-app purchase mechanism. Shortly thereafter, Apple removed the gamer from the App Store and canceled its developer account for violating App Store policies.

Epic immediately filed a lawsuit against Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Both companies have requested the matter be decided by the court. Previously, Apple wanted a jury trial, but has withdrawn the request to streamline proceedings after a California judge hinted that a jury trial probably wouldn’t start until July 2021.

(Dennis Sellers has been covering the Apple industry since 1996. In addition to“Apple World Today,” he also runs his own freelance writing/editing service. If you want more info about the latter, email him at dennis.sellers@comcast.net.)