Apple is preparing to escalate its legal battle with Epic Games by appealing to the Supreme Court regarding the App Store fees issue. The tech company plans to challenge a ruling that restricts its ability to impose charges on external payments.
In response to the ongoing conflict, Apple aims to halt the appeals court’s decision, which limits its capability to levy fees on transactions made through external payment methods.
This legal feud originated when Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, introduced an alternative payment system within its app to circumvent Apple’s App Store fees in 2020. Although Apple emerged victorious in 2021, with the court ruling against it being labeled a monopoly, it was mandated to permit developers to incorporate external payment options.
Despite the Supreme Court declining to review the case previously, Apple was instructed to comply with the Ninth Circuit Court’s initial verdict. Consequently, Apple began allowing external payments but continued charging developers utilizing their payment platforms a 27% commission, a mere 3% reduction from its typical 30% fee. Conversely, Google, entangled in a similar legal battle, recently settled with Epic Games, lowering its Play Store commissions to 20%.
Epic Games contested Apple’s 27% surcharge on external payments, arguing that it violated the court order. Moreover, developers did not experience cost savings as payment processing incurs fees of its own.
Following a U.S. District Court and U.S. Court of Appeals ruling against Apple’s fee structure, the matter is now bound to return to a lower court for further deliberation. As Apple exhausts its options within the Ninth Circuit, its next intended step involves pursuing the Supreme Court for resolution.
Source: TechCrunch