Apple has requested the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lower court ruling that found the iPhone maker in civil contempt for charging fees on certain third-party in-app purchases made by its App Store users. The petition escalates the long-running legal battle with Epic Games, developer of "Fortnite," which sued Apple in 2020 to challenge its control over transactions on iOS apps and restrictions on app distribution. While a judge largely dismissed Epic's lawsuit, a 2021 injunction required Apple to allow developers to include links directing users to non-Apple payment methods. Apple permitted such links but imposed new restrictions, including a 27% commission on purchases made through external payment systems within seven days of a user clicking a link. Epic argued this new commission violated the injunction, leading a judge to find Apple in civil contempt for breaching the order in 2025. Apple is urging the justices to consider two legal issues: that the injunction should not apply broadly to millions of developers since Epic was the sole plaintiff and the case was not a class action, and that contempt cannot be based on an alleged violation of the injunction's "spirit" when the order did not explicitly prohibit the conduct. Apple denies any wrongdoing, stating it is complying with the court's commands.
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