Australia’s Federal Court has given the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission permission to intervene in the relief phase of Epic Games’ case against Apple, after the court previously found Apple misused market power by blocking alternative app distribution and in-app payment options on Apple devices. The current hearing focuses on what remedies and orders should follow that breach of Australia’s competition law.
ACCC involvement is limited to written submissions on specific relief questions the regulator considers to be in the public interest. The relief hearing is scheduled to resume on 28 April, extending proceedings that have been running since late 2020.
The regulator has monitored the privately run case since it began in November 2020 and has already engaged with aspects of the litigation, but it now wants to shape the remedies being considered. It is particularly interested in how any court orders might open up or constrain competition in digital services, especially app distribution and payment processing on mobile devices.
By intervening at this stage, the ACCC can address technical issues around designing effective remedies, including how to implement changes without creating new competitive distortions. Its submissions are expected to focus on making any orders practical to enforce and aligned with broader competition policy objectives.
Industry watchers point out that the case sits at the intersection of app-store control, developer choice and consumer access to cheaper or more flexible payment methods. Court-ordered changes to Apple’s restrictions in Australia could influence how app marketplaces operate, potentially setting expectations for how dominant digital platforms treat third-party distribution and payment systems.
Regulators now treat app-store rules as a core competition issue, not just a commercial dispute between a platform and a large developer.
