Apple has filed a motion with a federal appeals court in California seeking to pause a recent court order that could significantly impact its App Store business. The April 30 ruling by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers found Apple in contempt of a 2021 injunction from the Epic Games lawsuit and imposed new restrictions on the company’s App Store operations. Apple argues that complying with the ruling could cost it billions of dollars annually and claims the order imposes extraordinary and permanent limits on its ability to compete. The court ordered Apple to eliminate a 27% fee imposed on developers directing users to external payment platforms and to lift restrictions on links that guide customers away from the App Store.
In its appeal, Apple contended that it had followed the original injunction and stated that the recent ruling contained legal errors and unjustified sanctions. The company compared the court order to forcing a bookstore to advertise rival offers in its checkout line without compensation. Judge Rogers accused Apple Executives, including CEO Tim Cook, of deliberately defying the court’s earlier orders and criticized the company for trying to preserve its revenue model. Epic Games responded by accusing Apple of trying to block competition and announced plans to relaunch Fortnite on iOS devices in the U.S.
