Apple trial threatens to reveal App Store’s commission bounty

If Epic wins, 'the result could be to open up not just the Apple app store but Google’s as well, reducing prices and making it harder for Apple to block or interfere with apps that compete with its own products, such as Spotify or Google Stadia', said Lemley. — AFP

Apple Inc’s App Store has long been touted as a growth engine. Now, the world’s most valuable company is fighting in US court to not reveal in public just how lucrative it is.

In a trial scheduled to start May 3, Epic Games Inc is alleging that the iPhone maker’s 30% commission on app sales is a violation of antitrust law, cheating developers and consumers. Epic’s long-odds gambit to gain free access to the App Store, which has garnered support from mom-and-pop developers and giants like Microsoft Corp, comes amid increasing global regulatory scrutiny of Apple’s domination of software on its ubiquitous phones. On April 30, the European Union issued a warning over the App store, saying it thinks Apple abused its power.