Apple files appeal against court's App Store ruling

Apple has filed an appeal to challenge a US judge's ruling that mandates the company to open its App Store to more competition.

As reported by The Verge, the company said it will seek a review from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals regarding an April 30 ruling that found it in contempt of a previous order in a 2020 antitrust lawsuit filed by Epic Games.

In 2021, the Epic v. Apple lawsuit led to a court order preventing Apple from engaging in anti-steering practices, which would stop developers from directing users to make purchases outside the app. 

The case was revived last year when Epic Games accused Apple of violating this court order. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers sided with Epic Games, finding that Apple’s VP of finance, Alex Roman, had lied under oath. 

Judge Rogers then referred the matter to the federal prosecutor for a potential criminal investigation and sanctioned Apple for misusing attorney-client privilege to delay proceedings.

Apple denied violating the court's order and has filed an appeal outlining its legal arguments. 

Industry experts weigh in

Judge Gonzalez Rogers ordered Apple to stop practices intended to bypass her previous injunction, including a 27% fee on app developers for purchases made outside the App Store. 

She also prohibited Apple from using "scare screens" to discourage consumers from using third-party payment options.

We spoke to various industry experts to explore the potential impact of this decision on the future of mobile games and distribution.