Apple Challenges Epic Games Ruling at Supreme Court

Apple has escalated its ongoing legal battle with Epic Games by petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lower court’s injunction. The iPhone maker contends that the current ruling, which mandates changes to its App Store payment policies, should not be applied broadly to developers who were not involved in the original litigation.

Challenging the Scope of the Injunction

The core of Apple’s argument rests on the procedural nature of Epic’s initial case. In the new petition, Apple asserts that because Epic never filed as a class action, it had no standing to demand relief that affects third-party companies. The filing explicitly notes that entities like Microsoft and Spotify, which were not part of the dispute, should not be subject to changes intended specifically to address Epic’s grievances.

The legal friction centers on the Ninth Circuit’s civil contempt order. Following a previous court mandate, Apple allowed developers to include links in their apps directing users to alternative payment systems. However, Apple continued to levy a 27% commission on those external transactions, a practice the court deemed a violation of the injunction’s intent.

Dispute Over the “Spirit” of the Law

Apple is pushing back against the contempt finding by focusing on the technical interpretation of the court’s order. The company argues that because the original injunction did not explicitly prohibit the charging of commissions on external payments, it cannot be held in contempt for violating the “spirit” of the mandate.

The ongoing conflict has seen several recent developments:

• The Supreme Court recently declined Apple’s request to pause additional proceedings regarding these sanctions.
• Epic Games has characterized Apple’s latest petition as a desperate attempt to delay payment competition.
• Despite the legal deadlock, Epic Games recently announced that Fortnite has returned to the App Store globally, excluding Australia.

With the dispute dating back to 2020, both parties remain entrenched in a battle that shows no immediate signs of resolution. Epic Games maintains that the court’s trajectory favors the opening of the App Store ecosystem, while Apple continues to defend its current fee structure through the highest levels of the judiciary.