Apple has requested the US Supreme Court to nullify an order mandating changes to its App Store rules, a result of an antitrust case initiated by Epic Games, the owner of “Fortnite.”
The legal dispute, which began in 2020, centers on Apple’s requirement that developers use its App Store, where they face up to 30% commissions on in-app payments. While Epic lost its initial claims in 2021, a US District Court judge determined that Apple’s prohibition on developers informing customers about alternative payment options violated a California unfair competition law.
Following this ruling, the trial court judge ordered Apple to revise these rules for all developers in its US App Store. The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal upheld these orders, pending a decision by the Supreme Court.
Apple contends that the lower court orders exceed the authority of a federal judge and rely on a single developer’s case, without demonstrating the necessity of a nationwide ban to address the harm suffered by Epic.
Apple argues that this approach undermines constitutional limits on federal courts’ authority, potentially making universal injunctions the default remedy in single-plaintiff cases challenging generally applicable policies.