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Epic Games and Spotify are founder-members of a new 'anti-app-tax' organization

:CAF intends to take on the big app markets. (Source: CAF)
:CAF intends to take on the big app markets. (Source: CAF)
Epic Games has been in open litigious conflict with Apple over the latter's 30% levy on developer revenue in exchange for the use of its App Store. Now, the studio has escalated this situation with the implementation of the Coalition for App Fairness (CAF), a new non-profit for "developer rights". Spotify, another company openly disgruntled with Apple's "unfair" practices, has also helped form the group.

A group of software companies are now also the CAF: not the suite of Android kernel optimizations, but a new non-profit dedicated to combat what it calls the "app tax" levied by Apple and Google for apps hosted on the App Store or Play Store. The Coalition asserts that it "cuts deeply into consumer purchasing power" as well as into the takings of those who design mobile apps.

Two of its most prominent founding members have taken issue with the two mobile OS giants publicly in the past. Spotify has lodged complaints with European Union authorities over what it views as anti-trust violations on the part of Apple, whereas Epic Games is currently embroiled in a legal case over the consequences of not paying the 30% fee, which involves the removal of the game Fortnite from the Play and App Stores.

These two firms have been joined by others, including Match Group (responsible for apps such as Tinder), the remote-collaboration platform Basecamp and Tile. The latter has attested that Apple changed its device-finding hardware app's permissions in a manner coinciding with the development of the Cupertino giant's similar AirTag product. The CAF has stated that it will proceed to protect developer interests and rights in accordance with a new list of tenets now available on its website.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2020 09 > Epic Games and Spotify are founder-members of a new 'anti-app-tax' organization
Deirdre O'Donnell, 2020-09-25 (Update: 2020-09-25)