Judge Orders Apple to Loosen App Store Restrictions in Mixed Verdict

US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers issued her verdict in the closely watched battle between Apple and Epic Games, saying Apple’s prohibition against developers sending users to alternative ways of making in-app purchases was anticompetitive and permanently prohibited it from doing so. “The Court does not find that Apple is an antitrust monopolist in the submarket for mobile gaming transactions,” the judge wrote. “However, it does find that Apple’s conduct in enforcing anti-steering restrictions is anticompetitive.” Epic, the maker of “Fortnite,” brought the lawsuit, claiming that Apple was improperly using its monopoly power and harming competition. It had sought to force Apple to allow users to download its games outside of the iPhone maker’s App Store. The high-profile case highlights a broader concern about online platforms and digital commerce; regulators and lawmakers in Washington, Brussels and beyond are seeking to rein in big tech companies. Even before the judge’s ruling, Apple had been making concessions on the so-called anti-steering provision as it worked to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by smaller developers and an investigation by Japanese authorities.