The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission confirmed it received permission from the Federal Court of Australia to intervene in upcoming relief hearings, where the court will decide what corrective measures should be imposed on Apple.
The development follows an earlier ruling that found Apple in breach of competition laws for restricting alternative app distribution channels and limiting in-app payment options on its devices. Similar findings were made against Google, owned by Alphabet Inc., which has since reached a global settlement agreement with Epic Games.
The dispute stems from Epic’s decision to introduce its own in-game payment system in Fortnite, effectively bypassing the standard commission fees—typically around 30%—charged by Apple and Google on app store transactions. This move led to the removal of Fortnite from both companies’ app marketplaces, triggering the legal showdown.
Epic Games, which has backing from Chinese tech giant Tencent, has argued that such restrictions stifle competition and limit consumer choice.
Commenting on the case, ACCC Commissioner Luke Woodward described it as a significant competition law matter with potentially far-reaching consequences for how mobile apps are distributed and monetised in Australia.
The relief hearing is scheduled to resume on April 28, where the court is expected to consider measures that could reshape app store policies and in-app payment systems in one of the world’s closely watched tech disputes.