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A U.S. judge ruled that Apple can no longer force developers to use its in-app payment system. The ruling is a victory for Epic Games, which sued Apple after 'Fortnite' was pulled from the App Store for allowing users to purchase in-game currency using another payment system to avoid Apple's 30% service charge on all transactions.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers issued a permanent injunction that will take effect on December 9, allowing developers to point users to third-payment services from within their apps. The ruling is a massive blow for Apple, which rakes in billions of dollars from in-app purchases.
Gonzalez-Rogers did not hand Epic a complete victory and ruled that Apple was not in violation of California or federal antitrust laws. While she noted that Apple engaged in "anticompetitive conduct," she ultimately found Apple is not an illegal monopoly.
"Given the trial record, the Court cannot ultimately conclude that Apple is a monopolist under either federal or state antitrust laws," court documents read. "Success is not illegal. The final trial record did not include evidence of other critical factors, such as barriers to entry and conduct decreasing output or decreasing innovation in the relevant market."
Apple did not say if it would appeal the injunction.
"Today, the Court has affirmed what we've known all along: the App Store is not in violation of antitrust law. As the Court recognized, 'success is not illegal,'" Apple said in a statement. "Apple faces rigorous competition in every segment in which we do business, and we believe customers and developers choose us because our products and services are the best in the world."