US Court Forces Injunction on Apple

Drama

01 May 2025 11:44

In a major development in the ongoing legal battle between Epic Games and Apple, a U.S. federal court has issued a new ruling that immediately prohibits Apple from preventing developers from directing U.S.-based users to alternative payment methods, such as web-based transactions, outside its App Store ecosystem.

The Northern District of California's decision stems from Apple’s efforts to circumvent a previous 2021 injunction, which found its 30% commission on in-app purchases to be anticompetitive. That ruling required Apple to allow developers to inform users of external payment options. In response, Apple implemented a 27% commission on such transactions and introduced what the court described as "scare screens" to dissuade users from leaving the App Store to complete purchases.

"Apple's goal: to dissuade customer usage of alternative purchase opportunities and maintain its anticompetitive revenue stream," the court stated in its latest order. "In the end, Apple sought to maintain a revenue stream worth billions in direct defiance of this Court's Injunction."

As a result of the ruling, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney announced on Twitter that Fortnite will return to the U.S. App Store next week. The court also referred Apple and its vice president of finance, Alex Roman, to the local U.S. attorney for a criminal contempt investigation. According to the order, Roman "outright lied under oath."

Tags: Apple

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US Court Forces Injunction on Apple

Drama

01 May 2025 11:44

Tags: Apple

In a major development in the ongoing legal battle between Epic Games and Apple, a U.S. federal court has issued a new ruling that immediately prohibits Apple from preventing developers from directing U.S.-based users to alternative payment methods, such as web-based transactions, outside its App Store ecosystem.

The Northern District of California's decision stems from Apple’s efforts to circumvent a previous 2021 injunction, which found its 30% commission on in-app purchases to be anticompetitive. That ruling required Apple to allow developers to inform users of external payment options. In response, Apple implemented a 27% commission on such transactions and introduced what the court described as "scare screens" to dissuade users from leaving the App Store to complete purchases.

"Apple's goal: to dissuade customer usage of alternative purchase opportunities and maintain its anticompetitive revenue stream," the court stated in its latest order. "In the end, Apple sought to maintain a revenue stream worth billions in direct defiance of this Court's Injunction."

As a result of the ruling, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney announced on Twitter that Fortnite will return to the U.S. App Store next week. The court also referred Apple and its vice president of finance, Alex Roman, to the local U.S. attorney for a criminal contempt investigation. According to the order, Roman "outright lied under oath."

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