Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
After an extensive legal back and forth over Apple’s App Store policies, in which the company took a 30% commission on all in-app purchases and prohibited developers from providing in-app links to alternative payment methods, a 2021 ruling forced Apple to allow links for purchases outside of the App Store. After failing to successfully appeal the ruling last week, Apple will take its case to the Supreme Court of the United States.
As reported by Reuters, Apple announced its plans to plead its case to the Supreme Court earlier this week. The world’s largest company will urge SCOTUS to appeal the decision made by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in 2021, which forced Apple to allow apps to share links that take users out of the App Store for payments, allowing them to circumvent the company’s 30 percent share on in-app purchases. This originally stemmed from Epic Games decision to do just that back in 2020, prompting Apple to boot Fortnite from the App Store and kicking off a long feud between the companies.
Apple argues that the court overreached by making the worldwide injunction against the company over the Epic Games lawsuit. Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney reacted to the news of Apple’s plans to appeal to SCOTUS in a series of tweets.
The Supreme Court’s ruling will be a major chapter in not only the battle between Apple and Epic Games—but Apple’s App Store practices as a whole. To look back on the saga up to this point, you should check out Shacknews’ Apple vs Epic Games topic page.