Judge says Apple isn't entitled to extra monetary damages over Fortnite lawsuit

Apple isn't entitled to extra monetary damages over its decision to remove Fortnite from its platforms after Epic breached App Store guidelines, according to the U.S. District Judge overseeing the high-profile legal battle. 

As reported by Bloomberg, Apple claims that Epic has effectively stolen revenue by choosing to circumvent its payment processes, and that it should be entitled to extra damages beyond those relating to that initial breach of contract. 

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, however, has rubbished that notion, and said the long-running dispute should only be viewed as a "high-stakes breach of contract case and an antitrust case."

As such, Rogers has dismissed two of Apple's tort claims that would've stopped Epic from offering its payment services to existing Fortnite users on Apple platforms, while also resulting in an extra payout for the Cupertino tech giant. 

Apple, however, is still allowed to block new Fortnite installs and updates on the plaftform, preventing current players from accessing the latest version of the battle royale shooter -- while also stopping newcomers from downloading any version of the game.

The case will come to a head when it heads to trial in May 2021, and Rogers has warned the outcome could have "serious ramifications" for other major players like Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft.