Apple has filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge a contempt of court ruling issued by District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers. The company seeks to revert its App Store policies to the state they were in prior to 2025.
The legal dispute stems from a 2020 lawsuit where Apple was ordered to allow developers to include links to alternative payment methods. Apple subsequently implemented a commission fee ranging from 12% to 27% on these transactions.
Epic Games argued that these fees violated the court's injunction. The judge agreed, ruling that Apple was in contempt of court and prohibiting the company from collecting any commissions on purchases made via external links in the U.S. App Store.
Apple contends that it cannot be held in contempt for violating the 'spirit' of an injunction when the original text, consisting of only 75 words, did not explicitly regulate commission rates. The Supreme Court is expected to hear the case in 2027.
Meanwhile, the case has been remanded to the district court to determine a reasonable commission rate, as the appellate court deemed a total ban on fees excessive. Apple's request to delay these proceedings was denied.
