Apple Inc. has formally petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court, requesting a review of two core legal issues from a lower court's ruling in the Epic Games antitrust lawsuit: a contempt of court finding and the scope of an injunction. This move could reshape how developers handle external payments within the iOS ecosystem.
The appeal stems from a lawsuit initiated by Epic Games in 2020, which accused Apple of exerting excessive control over app distribution and payment methods through its App Store rules. In 2021, a court issued an injunction requiring Apple to allow developers to include links in their apps directing users to non-Apple payment channels. While Apple complied by permitting external links, it introduced a 27% commission and imposed restrictions on link formatting, which Epic criticized as non-compliance. In 2025, presiding Judge Gonzalez Rogers found that Apple had deliberately violated the injunction, constituting civil contempt of court, and further prohibited Apple from charging any commission on external payments or restricting link formats.
In its 34-page petition, Apple argues that the lower court erred in finding contempt based on the spirit rather than the explicit text of the injunction. It cites the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, stating that civil contempt should only apply when an order is clearly and unambiguously violated. Additionally, Apple contends that the 2021 injunction applied only to Epic as a single plaintiff and should not be extended to millions of developers worldwide.
Epic responded, stating that Apple's move is a last-ditch effort to delay the case's conclusion, aimed at preventing payment competition to maintain high profits. The Supreme Court is expected to decide whether to hear the case on June 25. The outcome will set a significant precedent for digital platform commission rules.
Comments