Australian Court Rejects Apple's Request to Postpone 'In-App Payment' Trial... Full Proceedings to Begin Next Year

Epic Games Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Apple
Australian High Court Overturns Initial Trial Postponement
Mixed US Rulings... First Regulation on Korean App Market Operators

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] The Australian High Court overturned the temporary injunction ruling in the antitrust lawsuit Epic Games filed against Apple, and trial proceedings are expected to take place as early as before November next year. In the United States, mixed rulings have been issued, while investigations into App Store dominance are underway in Europe, the UK, India, and South Korea.

On the 2nd (local time), according to IT specialized media ZDNet and Apple Insider, the Australian High Court, the highest court in Australia, rejected Apple's request for a temporary injunction, making it likely that the trial will be held next year. The hearing was scheduled for November 22 next year, but there are also expectations that the trial schedule will be moved up.

Epic Games, the operator of the game "Fortnite," has been in conflict with Apple over its in-app payment policy (payments made using the app market operator's own system). Epic Games was removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store for not complying with Apple's in-app payment mandatory policy, which imposes a commission fee close to 30%.

Epic Games has filed antitrust lawsuits against Apple and Google worldwide, including in Australia, but in Australia's case, the actual trial date had not been set, so the trial was expected to be prolonged. In April, a federal court issued a temporary injunction ruling, accepting Apple's argument that the dispute should first be raised in California, USA. However, both sides have repeatedly appealed, continuing a behind-the-scenes battle.

In the United States, conflicting rulings have emerged. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the Northern District Court of California ruled that Apple's request for a delay was "fundamentally flawed" and warned that Apple's strict App Store regulations tend toward antitrust behavior. On the other hand, the federal court in Oakland, California, ruled that "Epic Games' establishment of its own payment system in defiance of Apple was a breach of contract," ordering Epic to pay at least $4 million in damages, a portion of the revenue earned through its own payment system.

The global view toward the so-called "toll fee" commission policy upheld by major U.S. Big Tech companies is unfavorable. The European Union (EU), the UK, and India are investigating Apple's App Store dominance. In the U.S., the Department of Justice has launched an antitrust investigation into the business, and the Senate has introduced antitrust legislation to promote competition in the App Store.

South Korea became the first country in the world to regulate the actions of app market operators such as Apple and Google by passing the so-called "Google Gapjil Prevention Act (Amendment to the Telecommunications Business Act)" on August 31, which prohibits mandatory in-app payments. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney and Megan Dimuzio, Secretary-General of the U.S. Coalition for App Fairness (CAF), visited the National Assembly, emphasizing global solidarity by stating, "Changes in Korea will continue overseas." Epic Games has requested Apple to restore the Korean Fortnite developer account.