The judgment he has faced Apple with EPIC has already verdict and although the sentence is quite favorable to Apple, there is a point that can affect his income statement. The Californian Judge Yvonne González Rogers has forced Apple to accept links to alternative methods of payment within the apps developed by third parties.
It is a decision that, in principle, seems to end the commission between 15% and 30% that Apple takes from all the transactions carried out within an app, and this is how many developers have seen since the judgment is He published in September.
But in a statement to the Federal Justice Circuit, Apple's attorneys - who have requested that the measure does not come into force while the appeals continue to understand that the company's plan is to continue charging these commissions, regardless of the payment method They choose the creators of the apps.
If the purchase process starts from the app, they affirm from Apple, the company "could begin to charge a commission when it was done through these mechanisms."
It's not a surprise at all. In the month of May, Tim Cook let out this possibility, but it is not clear how Apple could account for the transactions made outside of its pay platform. With the new Apple system you must allow an APP, for example, to show a link to an external website in which to make a subscription or purchase.
The judgment, in any case, admits this possibility, as it focuses only on the need for alternative methods of payment, not in the structure of the Commissions that currently exists.
If I finally decided to do so, Apple would not be alone. Google, who has also faced EPIC in a similar case, has already indicated that it will use this strategy, at least in some markets.
In South Korea, bound by the courts, the company will allow to use alternative methods to Google Play for purchases within an app, but will charge a commission of 11% in these transactions, instead of 15% charged when using the native tool when using the native tool. .
Since any alternative payment solution will also have a commission structure, even if it is small, this leaves developers, at best, before a cut similar to that they originally had. In the worst case, they will have not only to pay more commissions but deal with different billing service providers.
The September statement gave Apple until December 9 to implement these changes, but it is likely that the California Court freed the entry into force of the judgment, as the company asks, until the appeals are resolved.
If I decided not to do so, the company has requested an extension of 30 days anyway to present the case before the US Supreme Court. And make the necessary technical changes, which according to Apple are very complex.
Date Of Update: 08 December 2021, 16:22
