Apple reinstates Epic's account, two days after banning it – Apple

Apple has reversed its decision To ban the Epic Games account, once it became known that EU regulators were already investigating this issue. This means that Epic will be able to offer its own app store for iPhone and iPad in EU territory. At the same time, the company will be able to recover it more easily fortnite On these devices operating within the European bloc, nearly four years after Apple decided to ban the game from the App Store, due to a dispute caused by alternative options for making in-app purchases, and bypassing the App Store itself, with the issue continuing since then developing into a battle. Long legal dispute between the two sides.

An Apple spokesperson told Engadget: “After discussions with Epic, they have committed to following the rules, including the DMA provisions[قانون التسويق الرقمي]“Therefore, Epic Switzerland AB was allowed to re-sign the Developer Agreement and be accepted into the relevant Apple program,” he added.

“Apple has stated to us and committed to the European Union that it will restore our account,” Epic said in a statement. The post has been updated on her company blog. “This sends a strong message to developers that the European Commission will act quickly to enforce the Digital Markets Act and hold accountable companies with a dominant market position. We are moving forward as planned to introduce the Epic Games Store and return to the market. fortnite for iOS in Europe.

Earlier this week, Apple disabled Epic's account, claiming that the company was unlikely to adhere to the terms of the relevant contract. Apple's lawyers described Epic at the time as “certainly unreliable.”

The sudden change, of course, coincided with a series of reports that EU regulators were preparing to demand an explanation from Apple for its decision to ban Epic. For its part, Epic said the ban constitutes a “serious violation of the DMA.” Within the framework of this law, which entered into force a few days ago, Apple is obligated to allow alternative proposals for purchasing iOS applications in the European Union. But Apple still forces companies that want to have their own app marketplace on iOS to follow the rules it sets.

It is noteworthy that during the current week, the European Union imposed a fine of 1.8 billion euros on Apple, under the pretext that it did not comply with the DMA, with the European Union authorities. It seems determined to act decisively when necessary, so Apple's decision not to continue its recent dispute with Epic comes as no surprise. In fact, the regulatory authorities in the European Union. They are said to be studying the new problem that has arisen with – unspecified at the moment – Apple's time restrictions on access to alternatives This is what the DMA is obligated to provide in European Union territories, so there are other issues at the moment. As for the new episode of the ongoing confrontation between Apple and Epic, Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic, said that he is confident that Apple was forced to retreat after the direct intervention of the European Commission.