Australian Court Rules That Epic/Apple Suit Can Proceed; Apple Appeals

The Epic vs. Apple trial in the United States is currently in the hands of the judge, who should issue a verdict later this summer. Apple argued that the ongoing nature of trial was why similar proceedings couldn't take place in Australia, but that decision has recently been overturned, allowing things to move forward in that country.

Apple Insider is reporting that Australia's Federal Court ruled on Friday that the suit can proceed, in response to an appeal by Epic Games that "the public policy issues in play were more important than jurisdictional formalities." Apple had previously asked for a delay in December, and a three-month stay was granted that would be made permanent if Epic didn't move forward with the U.S. case. The trial in the U.S. kicked off in May; Apple intends to appeal the decision to move forward in Australia.

In case you've forgotten -- and it's been nearly a year now since this whole saga kicked off -- Epic is arguing that Apple's handling of the App Store, notably its fees and restrictions regarding alternative payment options, is illegal. Epic presented such options for Fortnite on the App Store, resulting in its being pulled from the store by Apple, when then resulted in a planned campaign against Apple by Epic. The two companies have exchanged thrusts and parries since then, both in and out of court, with Epic CEO Tim Sweeney going so far as to compare his company's fight against Apple to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.

We're now waiting for California judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers to render her decision on the matter in the American version of the trial. Once that's done, or maybe even before then, we might be going through it all again in Australia. Fun, right?