Apple is seeking a pause on a recent court ruling that could impact its App Store, asking an appeals court to delay a decision by Judge Gonzalez Rogers, who accused Apple of ignoring a 2021 order to allow outside payment options and reduce anti-competitive practices.
The order in question was a result of Epic Games’ lawsuit, which accused Apple of holding a monopoly over the App Store. While the judge rejected the monopoly claims, she did rule that Apple was preventing developers from offering alternative payment methods, violating California’s competition laws.
Apple was told to make changes that would allow users to access cheaper payment options, but last week, Judge Gonzalez Rogers found that Apple had continued to defy her 2021 ruling.
Besides ruling that Apple had wilfully violated a 2021 injunction, Judge Rogers also wrote in her court filing that Apple VP of Finance Alex Roman “outright lied under oath” to the court.
In response, Apple’s legal team called the contempt ruling “extraordinary,” arguing that it unlawfully restricts the company’s ability to control key aspects of its business.
In a court filing, Apple’s lawyers stated, “A federal court cannot force Apple to permanently give away free access to its products and services, including intellectual property.”
The case dates back to 2020 when Epic Games first accused Apple of using its App Store as a monopoly to collect hefty commissions of up to 30% on in-app purchases.
While the judge didn’t buy the monopoly argument, she did agree that Apple was preventing developers from offering cheaper payment options. Apple, however, responded by imposing new fees on developers, which Epic claimed was a failure to comply with the court’s orders.
Meanwhile Epic Games tweeted that “Apple’s Motion to Stay is a last ditch effort to block competition and extract massive junk fees at the expense of consumers and developers.”
Now, with this latest contempt ruling, Apple is pushing back, arguing that forcing them to change would be a massive blow to their business model—and potentially billions of dollars in lost revenue. The drama is far from over, and the future of the App Store may hinge on what the appeals court decides next.
