US Supreme Court to hear Apple appeal in Epic Games case

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to hear Apple's bid to escape being found ​in contempt in its legal fight with "Fortnite" maker Epic Games after the iPhone maker ‌was deemed in violation of a judicial order mandating sweeping changes to its lucrative App Store in the antitrust litigation.

The justices took up Apple's appeal of a lower court's ruling upholding a decision by Oakland, California-based U.S. District Judge Yvonne ​Gonzalez Rogers finding Apple in contempt in Epic's 2020 lawsuit contesting App Store fees.

The Supreme ​Court is expected to hear the case in its next term, which begins in ⁠October.

The lawsuit by Cary, North Carolina-based Epic Games challenged Apple's control over transactions in applications that ​use the company's iOS operating system and its restrictions on how apps are distributed to consumers.

Apple and Epic ​have clashed for years over the rules governing Apple's App Store. The contempt ruling and the scope of Apple's court-ordered obligations are the latest issues in the dispute to reach the Supreme Court. Apple has said the legal issues in ​the litigation will affect how millions of app purchases are made.

Cupertino, California-based Apple mostly defeated Epic's lawsuit, ​but was required in a 2021 injunction issued by Rogers to let developers include links in their apps directing users ‌to ⁠non-Apple payment methods.

Apple allowed the links but adopted new restrictions, including a 27% commission on developers for purchases made on payment systems outside the App Store within seven days of clicking a link. Apple charges developers a 30% commission for purchases within the App Store.

Epic argued that the new 27% commission flouted ​the earlier injunction. In 2025, ​Rogers found Apple in civil ⁠contempt for violating the injunction.

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in December upheld the judge's contempt finding but let Apple make new arguments about ​what commission it should be allowed to charge for digital goods bought ​in apps distributed ⁠through the App Store but paid for using third-party systems.

That new effort has not yet begun in the district court in Oakland.

Apple has denied violating the judge's order and argued to the Supreme Court that the ⁠injunction ​should not be applied to millions of developers beyond Epic Games.
"Regulators ​around the world are watching this case to determine what commission rate Apple may charge on covered purchases in huge markets ​outside the United States," Apple told the Supreme Court, opens new tab in a filing.

-Reuters