Apple loses Sideloading lawsuit in Brazil, “Fortnite” comes

Epic Games has announced that the shooter “Fortnite” in Brazil will bring back to Apple cell phones. The reason is the fact that the government in the country – similar to how you know it from the EU – forces Apple to admit Sideloading. A few days ago, the company had asked a corresponding court decision to use its platform to open “within 90 days”.

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Cade against Apple

As Epic Games writes on X, the Brazilian competition authority now has “A great success of the court” landed against Apple. The Cade (Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica) had sued the iPhone manufacturer. The game group now expects “Fortnite” to bring the devices to the devices by July. How exactly this happens remains unclear.

The responsible judge Pablo Zuniga, raised a positive injunction for Apple, which would have given the company more time to implement Sideloading in Brazil. He explicitly referred to approaches in other world regions such as the EU. Apple is already implementing “similar obligations in other countries” to be able to prove “without significant effects or irreparable damage to its business model”. The EU with its Digital Markets Act (DMA) is explicitly considered a precedent.

Epic's own app store apps?

It is now conceivable that Apple has to allow competitors in Brazil, like in the EU,-such as the so-called Epic Games Store. In the Union, Apple had made major changes to iOS and iPados. However, the installation of such programs and download and set-up of the actual apps is not easy. In terms of content, Apple is not allowed to influence such programs, but wants to check for malware. Apple had received criticism from Epic Games and others because there are many warning messages during the installation that could scare users.

In Brazil, Apple had recently threatened punitive fees if an opening of the platform for external means of payment – another criticism of Epic Games – did not take place. In the meantime, the Commission is deciding on how much money the group has to pay for possible DMA violations.