Apple has formally contested a U.S. court ruling that found it in contempt of an earlier antitrust injunction, escalating its legal dispute with Epic Games over App Store restrictions.
The tech company filed its appeal with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, aiming to overturn a decision that could alter how developers operate within its iOS ecosystem.
The appeal comes in response to U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’ April 30 decision, which held Apple in contempt for defying a 2021 injunction.
The original order was intended to prevent Apple from obstructing app developers from directing users to alternative, often cheaper, payment options outside the App Store.
Judge Gonzalez Rogers did not mince words in her ruling. “Apple sought to maintain a revenue stream worth billions in direct defiance of this court’s injunction,” she wrote. She refused Apple’s request to pause the enforcement of her decision, accusing the company of deliberate noncompliance and misleading conduct.
The judge referred Apple and one of its senior executives to the U.S. Department of Justice for a possible criminal contempt investigation—an unusual escalation in corporate litigation that signals the severity of the court’s view on Apple’s conduct.
Apple has rejected the court’s claims, asserting that its App Store rules were not in violation of the injunction and are aimed at ensuring safety and maintaining user trust. In its notice of appeal, Apple did not publicly disclose its full legal reasoning but confirmed that it would challenge the contempt finding in detail.
At the core of the case is a 2020 lawsuit filed by Epic Games, creator of Fortnite, which accused Apple of monopolistic behaviour by restricting developers’ access to third-party payment systems and charging what it described as unreasonable fees.
The company claimed that Apple’s policies gave it unfair control over app distribution and in-app commerce on iPhones and iPads.
Following the contempt ruling, Apple was ordered to eliminate new practices that the judge deemed obstructive. This included a controversial 27% commission imposed on developers when users completed purchases outside the App Store—a tactic the court viewed as undermining the spirit of the original injunction.
The judge also banned the use of warning prompts, often labelled “scare screens,” which Apple displayed to dissuade users from using alternative payment options.
The ruling has triggered immediate ripple effects across the tech industry. Companies such as Spotify, which had long criticised Apple’s grip on app payments, are reportedly adjusting their in-app user experiences to embrace the new legal framework and allow external payments.
Neither Apple nor Epic Games responded to media inquiries at the time of filing this report.
The outcome of this appeal carries significant implications for the digital economy. Should Apple fail to overturn the ruling, the decision could reshape how major platforms manage their app marketplaces, setting a precedent that other jurisdictions may follow.
Meanwhile, the prospect of a criminal contempt probe adds further issues to Apple’s legal standing.
