Apple has filed a federal appeals court order to block a court ruling that requires it to allow App Store app developers to direct users to third-party websites to pay for digital goods without paying Apple a commission, potentially costing the company a significant chunk of its revenue, Bloomberg reports.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers made the ruling last week, finding that Apple knowingly violated a 2021 preliminary injunction issued after an antitrust lawsuit from Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite. The court found that Apple restricted competition by forcing developers to use its own payment system with a commission of up to 30%.
Apple insists it complied with the order by allowing external links to websites, but has imposed a new fee of 27% on transactions. The company has also imposed strict requirements for the design and placement of such links, which Epic says defeats the purpose of the ruling.
In a filing with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Apple said the new ruling causes the company "irreparable harm" and is based on "unsubstantiated allegations."
Epic called Apple's actions "a desperate attempt to maintain a monopoly and charge excessive fees." If the appeal is successful, companies like Amazon and Spotify could be forced to roll back changes that allow them to bypass App Store payments.