{"id":44008,"date":"2024-07-08T13:53:39","date_gmt":"2024-07-08T17:53:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/?p=44008"},"modified":"2024-07-15T10:49:13","modified_gmt":"2024-07-15T14:49:13","slug":"epic-games-store-temporarily-allowed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/2024\/07\/08\/epic-games-store-temporarily-allowed\/","title":{"rendered":"Epic Games Store Temporarily Allowed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Epic Games<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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Apple has informed us that our previously rejected Epic Games Store notarization submission has now been accepted.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Eric Slivka<\/a> (Hacker News<\/a>):<\/p>\n

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Apple today said it has approved the third-party Epic Games Store in the European Union, allowing the Fortnite developer to launch its alternative app marketplace in those countries, reports Reuters<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Is running to the EU the new running to the press?<\/p>\n\n

Tim Sweeney<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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Now about those 9 to 16 day TestFlight app approval delays…<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

App Review Guidelines<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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5.2.5 Apple Products: Don’t create an app that appears confusingly similar to an existing Apple product, interface (e.g. Finder), app (such as the App Store, iTunes Store, or Messages) or advertising theme.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Malcolm Owen<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Epic had defended itself, insisting it used the same naming conventions employed across different platforms. Epic also said it followed standard conventions for buttons in iOS apps.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Tim Sweeney<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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Apple is now telling reporters that this approval is temporary and are demanding we change the buttons in the next version - which would make our store less standard and harder to use.<\/p>\n

We’ll fight this.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Matthew Connatser<\/a>:<\/p>\n

If Epic is representing Apple’s position accurately, this would be a very strange reason to reject a third-party storefront. It’s unclear why Epic needs to use significantly different language than is used in the App Store, not to mention that the online souk is just one of many storefronts in the digital world where the words “install” and “in-app purchases” are used.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Is Apple’s position that it’s “confusingly similar” if it says “Epic Games Store” in large friendly letters but the buttons have the same titles and colors as in the App Store? Or are they complaining about specific pixels in the design? If so, are Epic’s buttons on other<\/em> platforms copyright infringements of the App Store?<\/p>\n\n

Nick Heer<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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As far as I know, there are no screenshots of the version of Epic Games’ store submitted to Apple. Maybe it is designed in a way that duplicates Apple’s App Store to the point where it is confusing, as Apple argues<\/a>. […] Regardless, it seems like a bad idea for Apple to be using its moderate control over alternative app stores are distributed to litigate intellectual property disputes. Perhaps when trust in the company’s processes is healthier, it would be less objectionable. But right now? If Apple wants to give competition investigators more material, it appears to be succeeding.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

John Gruber<\/a> (Mastodon<\/a>):<\/p>\n

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Epic is certainly under no obligation to reveal screenshots of its in-progress iOS games marketplace, but without screenshots, there’s also no reason for anyone to take their own description of the notarization dispute with Apple at face value. Epic Games is an unreliable narrator.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Well, the screenshots were submitted to the EU, and it would look really bad if Epic were found to be lying about this, so what would be the point? My recollection is that Epic has been accurate<\/a> in its descriptions of its disputes with Apple, whereas Apple has a history of making misleading statements about Epic. Gruber started calling Epic an “unreliable narrator<\/a>” after Epic claimed that Apple was going to punish its customers who had used “Sign In with Apple.” However, documents from court filings<\/a> later showed that his sources were wrong and Epic’s version of story and timeline were correct.<\/p>\n\n

Previously:<\/p>\n