Tech giant Apple has failed to secure a pause on key parts of a US district court order that requires it to ease restrictions on its App Store.
The ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Apple’s request to put the provisions on hold as the tech company appeals the judge’s order, which came in a long-running antitrust lawsuit brought by “Fortnite” maker Epic Games.
According to a report by The Indian Express, the US appeals court rejected Apple’s emergency motion to stay enforcement of an injunction issued by US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
The injunction prohibits Apple from blocking developers from linking users to payment options outside the App Store.
The court also prohibited Apple from restricting where developers place links to make purchases outside of an app.
The judge had previously found Apple in contempt of her 2021 order, stating in an April 30 ruling that the company had introduced a 27 per cent commission for off-App Store transactions to circumvent the original injunction.
She also accused Apple of misleading the court about its compliance efforts and referred the company and a senior executive to federal prosecutors for possible criminal contempt investigation.
Apple responded in a statement saying it was “disappointed with the decision not to stay the district court’s order” and would continue its legal challenge.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney commented on X that “the long national nightmare of the Apple tax is ended.”
Epic argued that since the April ruling, developers have introduced improved payment options and more competitive pricing. The case continues as Apple proceeds with its appeal.
