The US Supreme Court has decided not to review the dispute between Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL, ETR:APC) and Epic Games over Apple’s App Store policies, effectively upholding a lower court's ruling.
Epic Games, known for the popular game Fortnite, had accused Apple of monopolistic practices within its iOS app ecosystem, citing the tech giant's restrictions against rival app stores and alternative payment methods.
The case gained prominence when Epic bypassed Apple's in-app payment system, leading to Fortnite's complete removal from the App Store.
Interestingly, Epic's parallel legal battle against Google's Play Store policies took a different turn when a federal jury in California ruled in favour of Epic, finding Google guilty of antitrust violations.
Notably, the Google case was heard by a jury, while the Apple case was not.
The Supreme Court's decision not to hear the appeal leaves Apple's App Store policies largely intact, although it must now comply with a lower court's injunction to permit developers to direct users to external payment methods.
However, Epic Games’ chief executive Tim Sweeney criticised Apple’s “bad faith” compliance plan for the court order, saying that it “totally undermines” the court order allowing buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms, in addition to IAP (in-app purchases).
One particularly egregious policy allows Apple to charge a 27% commission “on proceeds you earn from sales to the user for digital goods or services on your website after a link out”.
Apple stated that it has the right to audit “the accuracy of your digital transactions, ensuring the appropriate commission has been paid to Apple”.
Apple will also charge interest on late payments.
Sweeney expressed general disappointment over the Supreme Court's decision on social media, calling it a "sad outcome for all developers" seeking more open competition in the iOS ecosystem.