Epic Games’ stunning victory blocks Apple from imposing fees on purchases made outside the App Store.
Epic Games’ stunning victory blocks Apple from imposing fees on purchases made outside the App Store.
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge
Sarah Jeong is a features editor who publishes award-winning stories about law, tech, and internet subcultures. A journalist trained as a lawyer, she has been writing about tech for 10 years.
After a stinging rebuke in the lower courts over its legal battle with Epic, Apple filed a notice of appeal to the Ninth Circuit on Monday. The appeal will challenge last week’s ruling that prevents the company from charging developers fees on purchases made outside the App Store.
In 2021, the Epic v. Apple lawsuit resulted in a court order enjoining Apple from anti-steering activities — that is, hindering developers from telling users to make purchases outside of the app. The case was revived last year when Epic Games alleged that Apple had violated that court order.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers not only agreed with Epic Games but also found that Apple’s Vice President of Finance, Alex Roman, had lied under oath and referred the matter to the district’s federal prosecutor for potential criminal investigation. The judge additionally sanctioned Apple for “misuse of attorney-client privilege designations to delay proceedings.”
