Below is an article from The Australian which discusses some recent developments with Apple
Apple can no longer oblige app developers to use its payment system, a US judge says
In a ruling with significant potential to alter the digital economy, Apple will no longer be allowed to force developers to use its tightly-controlled sales tool.
Lawsuits, rules and probes have piled up for the iPhone maker, but it was noncommittal about challenging the ruling and instead lauded the anti-trust portion by saying: “We consider this a huge win for Apple.”
“We will fight on,” Epic CEO Tim Sweeney tweeted, and a company spokesperson later confirmed they would appeal.
“Apple enjoys considerable market share of over 55 percent and extraordinarily high profit margins… (but) Success is not illegal,” California federal Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers wrote.
The decision noted that Apple violated California’s laws against unfair competition, however.
Also at stake was Apple’s slice of revenue from iPhone apps of as much as 30 percent.
– A win for Apple? –
It also faces the legislation adopted by South Korean lawmakers, which banned Apple and Google from forcing app developers to use the tech giants’ payment systems.
“For me, it is a win for Apple in that the judge clearly said they are not engaging in monopolistic behavior,” she told AFP. “I don’t think it is a problem for Apple from a revenue perspective.”
“Congress must enact rules of the road to ensure free and fair competition online,” said the joint statement from representatives Jerrold Nadler and David Cicilline.
Apple opened its App Store in July 2008, a year after the release of the first iPhone.
It ignited an entire economy where developers big or small could make money with “an app for that,” from games or social networking to summoning car rides or ordering food.