Epic Games Wins New Court Battle, Keeps App Store Fight Alive

A U.S. appeals court in California has ruled not to pause a decision that forces Apple to relax its restrictions on how developers can accept payments outside the App Store.
The ruling allows Epic Games to continue pressing Apple for changes in its fee structure while both sides prepare for a possible Supreme Court review.

Key Points

• Case Origin – Apple asked the court to hold off on the ruling that requires it to lower fees for alternative payment methods, claiming a pause would prevent needless court work as the case moves up to the highest court.
• Epic’s Counter – Epic argued Apple had no real need for a delay and that the Supreme Court would still face lower‑court issues if it took the case.
• New Requests – Epic filed two requests: one claiming insufficient time to respond to Apple’s pause request, and another asking the court to deny Apple’s stay entirely.
• Court’s Decision – The appeals panel found that Apple failed to prove it would suffer serious harm if the ruling stayed. Even with a Supreme Court victory for Apple, lower‑court proceedings on commission fees would likely continue unchanged.
• Outcome – The court ruled that Apple did not meet the strict criteria for a stay under federal appellate rules.

Epic’s Position

Epic’s leaders have labeled Apple’s “junk fees” as harmful to both users and developers, asserting the practice is illegal. They have requested a comment from Apple and promise to update the public if one is received.