Meta Platforms, Microsoft, X, and Match filed a legal petition protesting Apple’s App Store policies, complaining about how Apple is complying with a U.S. federal court ruling that ordered the App Store to allow alternative payment methods.
Aaron Tilley and Bradley Olson for The Wall Street Journal:
The four companies, which have some of the most popular apps on the app store, join Fortnite-maker Epic Games in protesting Apple’s plan to charge a commission for payments made outside the app store.
Apple in January announced plans to allow developers to process purchases outside of its app store, but the company drew sharp criticism from software-makers when it said it would charge a 27% commission in such cases.
Earlier this month, Epic filed a petition in the Northern California District Court asking U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who oversaw the 2021 case, to enforce her decision. Judge Rogers has previously said she would be watching how Apple complies with her order and could decide at some point to amend her ruling.
“The Apple Plan comports with neither the letter nor the spirit of this Court’s mandate,” the four companies say in the joint amicus briefing filed on Wednesday.
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MacDailyNews Take: Rodgers’ order forces Apple’s App Store to allow developers to provide links or other communications – i.e. advertise – alternative payment methods.
You know, because Best Buy and Target are forced by a judge’s injunction to place signs next to each product that advertise lower prices for the same items at Walmart.
Oh, wait, they aren’t forced to do that by some ditzy judge. Because it’s ludicrous, illogical, and just plan wrong.
If developers like Epic Games want to advertise lower prices using Apple’s App Store, Apple should simply release the In-App Advertising API and charge an in-store advertising fee on any app that advertises lower prices outside the App Store. We suggest Apple’s rate be 15% for developers making under $1 million per year and 30% for those making $1 million or more annually. 
– MacDailyNews, March 25, 2022
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