Apple resists, Epic fails to change App Store rules

Epic Games has lost an initial attempt to force Apple to change its rules for payments through the App Store. The Fortnite maker has asked the Supreme Court to overturn a decision by the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit regarding the stay of the injunction against Apple over App Store rules. However, Judge Elena Kagan denied the request without giving reasons.

As Bloomberg reports, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals originally upheld the injunction in April. However, he stayed the decision in July so Apple could take the case to the Supreme Court.

After a high-profile lawsuit between Apple and Epic Games in 2021, a lower court ruled that Apple violated California’s unfair competition law by preventing third-party developers from directing users to alternative payment options. The judge issued the precautionary measure to stop this practice.

In the last three years, companies have clashed over the issue of in-app payments on iOS. Epic caught the attention of Apple (and Google) when it announced Fortnite players on devices mobile that they would get discounted in-game currency V-Bucks if they bypassed the iOS and Android payment systems. That’s because, as you know, Apple and Google hold up to 30 percent of in-app transactions on iOS and Android.

Mobile platform providers quickly removed Fortnite from their respective app stores, and Epic sued them in ongoing battles. The Google case (in which Match Group is involved as an injured party) should go to trial next November.

Regardless of what happens in the US, Apple and Google are already being forced to open up their platforms to third-party payment systems in certain markets, such as South Korea and the Netherlands.

It’s also been reported that Apple plans to allow third-party app stores on the iPhone starting next year, largely to comply with new European Union rules. Epic hopes for this eventuality, as its mobile app store is ready to go live.