A Problem Of "Fairness": Epic Forms A Coalition To Fight Apple (VL324)

Today in "Epic vs Apple", Epic has helped form the nonprofit "Coalition for App Fairness" including members Spotify, Tile, Blockchain.com, and more to fight Apple and Google not in the courtroom, but in the office buildings of legislators and regulators around the world.

In this video, we'll take a look at the announcement, the 10 principles they have proposed for regulation, the arguments they make against "anti-competitive policies" and the 30% "App tax", and how bad arguments can poison the good.

Do you think when Epic forms a Coalition they ever worry that they are really just cogs caught in the gears of some war? A question you'll only see asked...in Virtual Legality.

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO AT: https://youtu.be/MRyZ2hD4_r0

#Epic #Apple #Coalition

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CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
3:03 The Announcement of the Coalition
18:00 The Ten Regulatory Principles
28:23 Apps and Anti-Competitive Policies
35:09 The 30% App Tax
40:10 Freedom, Speech, and Storefronts
44:06 Amazon, End-arounds, and Conclusions

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Discussed in this episode:

"Leading App Developers Form The Coalition for App Fairness to Promote Competition and Protect Innovation on Digital Platforms"
Coalition for App Fairness Press Release - September 24, 2020
https://appfairness.org/app-developers-coalition-for-app-fairness-competition-innovation/

"State of the App Economy"
App Association Report - Filed with the FTC
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2018/08/ftc-2018-0048-d-0121-155298.pdf

Verizon v Trinko
540 US 398 (2004)
https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=8700837978103397300

"our vision for the future"
Coalition for App Fairness Website
https://appfairness.org/our-vision/

"The App Store is Ruled by Anti-Competitive Policies"
Coalition for App Fairness Website
https://appfairness.org/issues/anti-competition/

"PUBG Corp. Sues Epic Games for Copyright Infringement"
Coalition for App Fairness Website
https://variety.com/2018/gaming/news/pubg-fortnite-lawsuit-1202823862/

30% “App Tax” on Creators and Consumers
Coalition for App Fairness Website
https://appfairness.org/issues/30-app-tax/

"Report: Steam's 30% Cut Is Actually the Industry Standard"
IGN - January 13, 2020 (updated) - Tom Marks
https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/07/report-steams-30-cut-is-actually-the-industry-standard

"Fees for the United States"
Kickstarter Website
https://www.kickstarter.com/help/fees

"We only succeed when you succeed"
Patreon Website
https://www.patreon.com/product/pricing

"Welcome to Epic Games"
Epic Games Store About Page
https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/about

"Let's math this."
Tweet - September 24, 2020 - Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic)
https://twitter.com/TimSweeneyEpic/status/1309187747962290176

"The App Store Limits Consumer Freedom"
Coalition for App Fairness Website
https://appfairness.org/issues/no-consumer-freedom/

"Yes, Amazon Luna dodges Apple’s cloud gaming rules — when will Nvidia and Google?"
The Verge - September 25, 2020 - Sean Hollister
https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/25/21455343/amazon-luna-apple-app-store-rules-cloud-gaming-streaming-google-nvidia

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"Virtual Legality" is a continuing series discussing the law, video games, software, and everything digital, hosted by Richard Hoeg, of the Hoeg Law Business Law Firm (Hoeg Law).

CHECK OUT THE REST OF VIRTUAL LEGALITY HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1zDCgJzZUy9YAU61GoW-00K0TJOGnPCo

DISCUSSION IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL ADVICE. INDIVIDUALS INTERESTED IN THE LEGAL TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS VIDEO SHOULD CONSULT WITH THEIR OWN COUNSEL.

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Twitter: @hoeglaw
Web: hoeglaw.com
Blog: hoeglaw.wordpress.com
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