Apple has filed an appeal after being found in contempt of an order relating to App Store fees.
The antitrust case between Apple and Epic Games is heading to the highest court in the United States. The Supreme Court will hear an appeal from Apple over a contempt ruling in a legal battle that has lasted for nearly seven years. According to Reutersthe justices are expected to consider the appeal during the court’s next term, which begins in October. A decision is expected by June next year.
In April 2025, District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers held Apple in contempt of a 2021 ruling that required the company to allow developers to direct users to third-party payment options for in-app payments. This would have allowed them to bypass the commission that Apple usually takes. Epic had accused Apple of “malicious compliance” by charging developers up to 27% on sales made through links to third-party payment systems. (Apple had long cut App Store payments by 30% before cutting that cut in half for many developers in 2020.)
An appeals court largely upheld the contempt ruling issued in December, while overturning an order that blocked the company from charging commissions on external payments. Thus, Apple will be able to present new arguments to Rogers on what it can charge for such payments.
In 2024, the Supreme Court refused to hear appeals from Apple and Epic in this long-running case. Last month, Justice Elena Kagan denied a motion to stay the ruling for contempt. Apple also argued that the injunction requiring it to allow third-party payment options should not apply to developers other than Epic. However, the judges will not consider this point.
