Apple has submitted a request to the Supreme Court to review a previous ruling in its ongoing legal battle against Epic Games. The ruling in question would potentially alter the regulations governing the App Store, specifically in regards to alternative payment options for app developers.
Key Takeaway
Apple has appealed to the Supreme Court to reconsider a ruling that would require the company to permit alternative payment options for app developers on the App Store. The decision remains in limbo as the legal battle with Epic Games continues.
Apple’s appeal, known as a cert petition, challenges the decision that would compel the company to allow app developers to direct their users to payment methods other than those provided by the App Store. The injunction associated with this ruling is currently on hold as both Epic and Apple continue their legal dispute. However, if the Supreme Court declines to take up the case, the ruling will be enforced.
The tech giant criticized the ruling as “breathtakingly broad” because it would not only impact Epic Games but also all other app makers. In its petition, Apple highlighted that the district court imposed a universal injunction, prohibiting Apple from enforcing its contractual guidelines against all developers on the App Store’s US storefront, encompassing millions of individuals.
Apple further emphasized that neither court had evaluated the necessity or appropriateness of relief for all affected nonparties, which includes approximately 100 other app developers, as a means to address Epic’s alleged injury.
Epic Games had also filed its own petition with the Supreme Court the day before, urging them to review the core allegation that Apple violates federal antitrust laws through its App Store business. While the lower courts did rule in Epic’s favor regarding external payment options, the majority of the decision favored Apple.
