The dispute between Epic Games and Apple over the use of the App Store is now being played out in Europe. The Fortnite developer said it filed a complaint with the EU Commission for competition violations against the iPhone company. The complaint to the EU supplements the lawsuits already filed against Apple in the USA, Great Britain and Australia, according to the company.

Brussels antitrust watchdogs would not comment further on the complaint, but said they were aware of concerns about rules in the app store. The dispute is about the 30 percent levy that app developers have to pay to Apple and Google if they want to be present in the App Store or Google Play Store.

Epic chief calls for “fair market”

Apple also only allows downloads of apps and games from its own app store on its mobile devices. As a payment method, the group prescribes its own system Apple Pay. The dispute escalated when Epic integrated an alternative payment method into the latest Fortnite game version in order to circumvent the fee levy to Apple and Google. As a result, Apple removed the game, which has 350 million registered users, from its app store, to which Epic responded with several lawsuits against Apple’s payment policy.

“Consumers have the right to install applications from the sources of their choice,” Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said. And developers need a “fair market,” he added. The lack of competition and high fees lead to “excessive pricing” for consumers, according to Sweeney.

Apple has launched a countersuit

Apple is seeking damages in a counterclaim. In a response to the complaint in the EU, the iPhone company accused Epic of using consumers as a pawn – and that’s what they want to show the Commission. Apple is about providing users with a safe app platform, and it treats all developers equally, it said.

The conflict could ultimately affect how apps are distributed on smartphones – and how much of the purchase price platforms like Apple’s App Store or Google’s Play Store are allowed to keep.