Epic Games founded the Coalition for App Fairness

On 24/09/2020, Epic Games, Spotify, and Match Group announced the formation of the Coalition for App Fairness, a non profit organization created to advocate for changes to mobile app store policies. The coalition launched with 13 founding members, including Basecamp, Blix, Blockchain.com, Deezer, the European Publishers Council, News Media Europe, Prepear, ProtonMail, SkyDemon, and Tile. The group stated that its purpose was to address what it described as anti competitive practices and commission structures imposed by major app store operators, including Apple and Google. The Coalition for App Fairness introduced a framework of ten App Store Principles intended to guide fair platform policies. These principles included allowing developers to communicate directly with customers, enabling alternative payment systems, ensuring equal treatment of apps, and opposing what the coalition described as unreasonable or excessive fees. The group also called for transparent review processes and the ability for developers to distribute apps without mandatory use of platform controlled services. The coalition said it would engage with regulators, policymakers, and the public to promote these principles. The coalition’s formation came shortly after Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store in August 2020, following Epic Games’ implementation of a direct payment system inside the app. That removal triggered a legal dispute between Epic Games and Apple over App Store rules and commissions. The timing of the coalition’s launch reflected broader tensions between large developers and platform operators regarding distribution control, in app purchases, and marketplace competition.