[wayneftw]

> I'm not sure how that's a benefit for users (multiple app stores).

The same way multiple grocery stores benefit customers. It gives them a choice.

> What he wants is the right to build his own App Store so that he can charge his own "tax" and (hopefully) become a monopolist.

That makes no sense because once the door is open for multiple app stores, there's even less of a chance to become a monopolist. To become a monopolist Epic would have to build their own smartphone platform and get enough market share to effectively control the market, like Apple has done.

Also, when using the generic term it's app store, not App Store. Apple does not have a trademark on the generic term app store [0], they have only registered for that trademark and they will lose even that if challenged. Apple is so petty though that your iPhone automatically capitalizes it anyway.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/App_store#%22App_Store%22_trad...