Epic Games has dismissed Apple’s latest proposed commission rates, signalling that its long-running legal dispute with the iPhone maker remains far from resolved. Apple put forward the revised rates in a recent filing intended to settle the ongoing lawsuit, and also suggested that a settlement conference should take place.
Epic filed its response on Monday, briefly implying that Apple was not being serious in its filings. Even so, the company indicated that it would participate should the court order a settlement conference. Epic stated it would “entertain any direct approach from Apple with a serious settlement proposal that would introduce competition and benefit all developers.”
The stance echoes the attitude Epic has maintained throughout its case against Apple, in which the company has repeatedly framed itself as acting on behalf of the wider developer community.
Apple’s Proposed Commission Rates
Under Apple’s proposal, commission rates would begin at 5% for the small business programme and rise to 15% for external purchases. These figures sit below the rates applied by several rival platforms, including those Epic itself has agreed to elsewhere.
Epic, by comparison, takes 12% of all revenue generated from profits above roughly £790,000. Google takes 10% on the first tranche of earnings and can take up to 30% depending on the business, on earnings beyond that threshold.
The Google Settlement
The combative language absent from Epic’s approach to Apple was notably missing during its resolution with Google. As part of that arrangement, Epic paid Google around £630 million over six years to promote Fortnite on its platforms.
The contrast has drawn attention, given that Google’s rates are higher than Apple’s proposed figures in most instances, yet Epic proved willing to reach an agreement in that case.
The dispute between Apple and Epic is set to continue until an agreement is reached in the lower courts, or until the matter is decided at a higher level. The Supreme Court is expected to weigh in during October, when it will determine whether to side with Apple.
Source
Image: appleinsider.com
