On Thursday, Apple secured a partial victory in its ongoing antitrust battle with Epic Games over the company’s App Store practices, as the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed portions of a lower court’s April contempt order but upheld the core injunction favoring the Fortnite developer. The three-judge panel found that U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers had overstepped in some remedial measures, including a broad prohibition on Apple charging commissions or fees for purchases made outside its apps via developer links — a provision critics argued extended beyond the original 2021 ruling’s focus on anti-steering restrictions under California’s Unfair Competition Law (UCL). Specifically, the appeals court mandated modifications to narrow the injunction’s scope, emphasizing that relief must be “tailored to remedy the specific harm alleged” and rejecting Apple’s 30% commission on external transactions as unrelated to the UCL violation of blocking developer communications about alternative payments. Despite the win on those fronts, the 9th Circuit preserved the contempt finding against Apple for non-compliance with the prior injunction, which stemmed from Epic’s 2020 lawsuit alleging Apple’s App Store monopoly stifled competition through exclusive distribution and payment processing. It also declined to vacate the sweeping 2021 order, which requires Apple to allow developers to direct users to cheaper off-app payment options via buttons, emails, or QR codes — rules that took effect in 2022 after an initial stay. The decision largely affirms the 2023 appeals ruling that rejected Epic’s federal Sherman Act claims of unlawful tying and monopoly maintenance, but upheld the state-law anti-steering violation. The ruling, which could be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, underscores ongoing tensions in Big Tech antitrust enforcement, with Apple maintaining it deserves “some compensation” for its ecosystem innovations while Epic hails the outcome as a step toward fairer app markets. MacDailyNews Take: Nice partial win for Apple which should nonetheless now appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court! Rodgers says that Apple will no longer be allowed to prohibit developers from providing links or other communications that direct users away from Apple in-app purchasing. You know, because Best Buy and Target are forced by a judge’s injunction to place signs next to each product that advertise lower prices for the same items at Walmart. Oh, wait, they aren’t forced to do that by some ditzy judge. Because it’s ludicrous, illogical, and just plan wrong. Apple should appeal Roger’s injunction and/or if developers like Epic Games want to advertise lower prices using Apple’s App Store, Apple should simply charge an in-store advertising fee. We suggest it be 15% for developers making under $1 million per year and 30% for those making $1 million or more annually.  – MacDailyNews, September 10, 2021 Support MacDailyNews at no extra cost to you by using this link to shop at Amazon. The post U.S. appeals court partly reverses sanctions against Apple in Epic Games antitrust lawsuit appeared first on MacDailyNews. You're currently a free subscriber to MacDailyNews. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
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Thursday, December 11, 2025
U.S. appeals court partly reverses sanctions against Apple in Epic Games antitrust lawsuit
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