Particle.news
Download on the App Store
18 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

Appeals Court Denies Apple Stay in Epic Dispute Over App Store Payment Links

Apple must permit commission-free external payment links under a contempt order as it pursues further appeals.

Apple can’t undo some recent modifications to the App Store ordered by a judge.
FILE - The Apple logo is displayed at an Apple store, Jan. 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
Fortnite game graphic is displayed on a smartphone in front of Apple logo in this illustration created on May 2, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Image

Overview

  • The Ninth Circuit refused Apple’s emergency motion to pause Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’ April order finding the company in contempt for defying a 2021 injunction.
  • The order requires Apple to allow developers to embed and design external payment links within their apps without charging commissions or imposing formatting rules.
  • Major developers including Spotify, Amazon Kindle and Epic Games have already updated their apps to route users to their own websites for purchases.
  • An Apple spokesperson said the company will comply with the ruling while continuing to challenge it through the appeals process.
  • JPMorgan analysts estimate that eliminating the 15%–30% commission on out-of-app transactions could shave up to 200 basis points off Apple’s services revenue growth.