In a legal aftermath of an antitrust case won by Apple against Epic Games, the tech giant is now pursuing $73.4 million in legal fees from the game developer. The Supreme Court’s recent dismissal of separate requests from both Apple and Epic Games effectively concluded the protracted App Store rules litigation that had been ongoing since August 2020.
Apple’s Legal Victory and Requested Fees
Throughout multiple rounds of the dispute, Apple emerged victorious on all counts, except for one, swiftly addressing the outstanding issue. Apple is now urging the court to compel Epic Games to cover legal fees amounting to an astonishing $73,404,326. This substantial figure is derived from Apple’s courtroom expenditures, initially totaling $82,971,401 (later adjusted to $81,560,36), with a 10% reduction attributed to Epic’s partial success.
Apple’s Claim and the March 5, 2024 Hearing
The core of Apple’s claim lies in Epic’s alleged violation of their agreement by introducing an alternative payment method within the Fortnite game on the App Store. Epic had previously acknowledged the possibility of paying damages if it lost the antitrust lawsuit against Apple. With the court ruling in Apple’s favor, the tech giant has promptly issued a substantial bill, notes NIX Solutions.
The court has scheduled a hearing on March 5, 2024, to evaluate Apple’s claim for royalties, inclusive of any additional costs incurred during the ongoing litigation under the indemnification provision of the Developer Software License Agreement.