Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney recently stated that he’s willing to go to the Supreme Court to fight Apple’s control of the App Store, but hopes Congress steps in first. Commenting on the massive power shared by Google and Apple over apps, Sweeney said, “It’s incredibly dangerous to let the world’s most powerful corporation decide who can say what.”
The Verge reports that as the CEO of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney is keenly interested in the potential passage of the Open App Markets Act by Congress. If passed, the legislation championed by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) would require Apple and Google to allow developers to distribute apps outside of their official app stores and use alternative in-app payment providers. This would be a significant shift for game developers like Sweeney, who argues that the current App Store model is stifling the digital economy.
Senator Marsha Blackburn Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg
Tim Cook at Apple event (AFP)
Epic Games famously took Apple to court over the company’s 30 percent in-app purchase tax, resulting in the popular Fortnite video game being removed from the iOS store. Epic Games argued that it should be allowed to accept payment via alternative payment processors and avoid Apple’s 30 percent tax.
However, the future of the Open App Markets Act remains uncertain. Apple and Google have increased their opposition to the legislation, with Apple CEO Tim Cook recently visiting Washington, DC to speak with key lawmakers.
In August 2020, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney sued Apple and Google, alleging antitrust violations. Since then, Sweeney has been vocal about his concerns with the two tech giants on his social media. In recent tweets, he has been particularly critical of Apple, even going so far as to call the company “a menace to freedom worldwide.”
Apple is a menace to freedom worldwide. They maintain an illegal monopoly on app distribution, they use it to control American discourse, and they're endangering protesters in China by storing sensitive customer data in a state-owned data center.https://t.co/DX1SmULPZe
— Possibly Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) November 28, 2022
Sweeney has warned that Apple’s ability to ban apps like Twitter from its app store is something “every politician should fear,” adding, “It’s incredibly dangerous to let the world’s most powerful corporation decide who can say what.” Elon Musk recently added to this concern by accusing Apple of threatening to ban Twitter from its App Store, though he later walked back this claim stating he had spoken with Tim Cook and the issue was resolved.
Read more at the Verge here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan
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