The prolonged legal battle between Apple and Epic Games has recently reached a critical junction. The court has found that Apple indeed breached a 2021 injunction aimed at curbing its anti-competitive practices on the App Store. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who has presided over the case from the start, has accused Cupertino of distorting the decision by imposing new fees and barriers for developers.
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Apple Accused of Maintaining Anti-Competitive Barriers
In a detailed 80-page ruling, Judge Rogers outlined how Apple has “circumvented the principles of her decision” by implementing strategies designed to protect its income, while seemingly adhering to the court’s directives. She criticized the company for choosing unfair methods to achieve this, which she saw as deliberate attempts to stifle competition and keep users tied to Apple’s ecosystem.
The contentious measures include the commission on external purchases, the use of intimidating pop-up windows to discourage users from utilizing alternative payment methods, and the requirement for developers to use static URLs, which restricts their ability to offer alternative payment options.
Damning Internal Evidence
The investigation unearthed internal documents and testimonies that contradicted Apple’s public statements. Furthermore, Judge Rogers highlighted that Apple’s Vice President of Finance, Alex Roman, had lied under oath.
Although Phil Schiller claimed to have complied with the injunction, Tim Cook ultimately followed the financial team’s advice led by Luca Maestri (who stepped down as CFO on January 1st) to preserve the billions of dollars generated by the App Store. The judge deemed this a “poor choice.”
Severe Legal Repercussions for Apple
The court not only prohibited Apple from continuing to charge its current commission rate (27%), but also ordered the company to stop interfering with developers communicating alternative payment options. More seriously, Judge Rogers referred the case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for potential criminal contempt charges—a rare and potentially tricky situation for Apple to manage.
This ruling represents a significant win for Epic Games and could permanently change the rules of the game on the App Store, enhancing developers’ ability to offer competing payment options. It also sends a strong message to Apple and other digital giants about the limits of strategies designed to circumvent judicial decisions. Tim Sweeney of Epic Games has openly celebrated this outcome on platform X.
In response to inquiries from U.S. media, Apple plans to amend the App Store’s rules in the US to comply with this latest decision. However, the company has announced its intention to appeal the ruling.