UK courts will not rule on Epic vs Apple until after US courts have had their say

Epic Games will not be pursuing its case against Apple through the UK courts, at least for the time being. The Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled on Monday that it would not rule on the case against Apple until after the US courts have had their say. 

All three companies are US based and the judge, Justice Roth, noted that he was “far from persuaded” that the case was best heard in the UK. 

Despite that, the court said Epic’s case against Google could proceed, for reasons relating to the corporate structure of Google. That case pertains to the removal of the Fortnite app from the Google Play Store. 

Epic Games commented in response that it was “pleased” about the decision regarding Google, and that it “will reconsider pursuing its case against Apple in the UK after the resolution of the US case”. It remains to be seen though whether Apple will pursue Google only through the UK courts, or wait for the resolution of the US case first. 

What does this means for Epic’s ongoing battle to sell its content where it wants and how it wants? Probably very little. But at least we will only have to unpick complex legal arguments from one court case as this key battle for the future of games on Apple devices really kicks off in July.