An Apple retailer in Walnut Creek, California, U.S., on April 30, 2025.
Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Pictures
Apple is asking a court docket to pause a current determination in its case towards Epic Video games and permit the iPhone maker to as soon as once more cost a fee on in-app transactions that hyperlink out for cost.
Final month, U.S. District Decide Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland discovered that Apple had violated her authentic court docket order from the Epic trial, originally decided in 2021, that compelled Apple to make limited changes to its linking out policy beneath California regulation.
Decide Rogers’ new ruling is extra expansive, ordering Apple to right away cease imposing its commissions on purchases made for iPhone apps by internet hyperlinks inside its apps, amongst different modifications.
Apple is now trying to get a keep on that order, in addition to one other one from the case that stops it from proscribing app builders from selecting the language or placement of these hyperlinks, till all the determination might be appealed. Apple says that required modifications of their present kind will value the corporate “substantial sums.”
“That is the schooling chapter in Epic’s largely unsuccessful effort to make use of competitors regulation to alter how Apple runs the App Retailer,” Apple stated within the emergency movement for a keep. The movement cites a earlier order within the case that discovered that new linking insurance policies would value Apple “lots of of hundreds of thousands to billions” of {dollars} yearly.
If Apple succeeds, it would enable the corporate to roll again modifications which have already began to shift the economics of app growth. Builders together with Amazon and Spotify have been capable of replace their apps to keep away from Apple’s commissions and direct prospects to their very own web site for cost.
Previous to the ruling, Amazon’s Kindle app instructed customers they may not buy a e-book within the iPhone app. After a current replace, the app now exhibits an orange “Get Ebook” button that hyperlinks to Amazon’s web site.
Epic additionally plans to introduce new software to permit app and recreation builders to simply hyperlink to their web sites to take funds.
“This forces Apple to compete,” Epic Video games CEO Tim Sweeney stated shortly after final month’s determination. “That is what we needed all alongside.”
Apple stated within the submitting that “non-party builders are already seizing upon the Order to cut back client alternative (and injury Apple’s enterprise) by, amongst different issues, impeding the usage of” in-app purchases.
Rogers made a prison referral within the case, saying that Apple misled the court docket and that an organization vp “outright lied” about when and why Apple determined to cost 27% for exterior funds. The actual determination, the decide stated, happened in conferences involving Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Wednesday’s submitting from Apple would not handle Rogers’ accusations that the corporate misled the decide, however it does argue that the ruling was punitive. Apple’s legal professionals additionally claimed that civil contempt sanctions can solely coerce compliance with an present order, not punish non-compliance.
Apple stated earlier this week in a court docket submitting it will attraction the contempt ruling.
“We have complied with the court docket’s order and we will attraction,” Prepare dinner instructed buyers on the corporate’s quarterly earnings name final week.
WATCH: Apple says it strongly disagrees with Epic Games decision
