LogInThe tech giant, however, will have to allow App Store devs to direct customers to alternative payment methods.
It seems that the legal confrontation between Apple and Epic Games, which started all the way back in 2020 when Apple removed Epic's Fortnite from the App Store as the developer offered its customers to utilize an alternative payment method so as not to pay a 30% commission from each transaction taken by Apple, is nearing its end.
In a 2 to 1 decision, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit concluded that Apple's stringent management of its App Store did not contravene federal antitrust regulations, largely agreeing with a lower court's 2021 ruling, appealed by Apple.
Despite agreeing with Apple on nine of the ten claims, the panel also concurred with the initial verdict regarding Apple's ban on app developers from directing consumers to payment methods outside of the App Store, the issue that started the legal proceedings in the first place, saying that the policy in question contravenes California's Unfair Competition Law. Should the ruling remain in effect, iPhone app developers who sell subscriptions or digital services may be permitted to guide their customers to external sites to finalize their transactions and evade the charges imposed by Apple.
Epic Games' Founder and CEO Tim Sweeney commented on the court's decision, saying that even though "Apple prevailed at the 9th Circuit Court", the silver lining is that "the court's positive decision rejecting Apple's anti-steering provisions frees iOS developers to send consumers to the web to do business with them directly there".
The tech giant has also issued a statement regarding the court's ruling, saying that this decision "reaffirms Apple's resounding victory in this case, with nine of 10 claims having been decided in Apple’s favor," and suggesting that they might further appeal the one claim ruled in favor of Epic Games.
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