Overview
- A three-judge panel reversed the district court’s blanket ban on Apple charging any commission tied to off‑platform purchases and ordered that portion of the order to be modified.
- The appeals court left in place most of the contempt finding against Apple and affirmed the earlier anti‑steering injunction requiring Apple to allow links to outside payment options.
- Judges rejected Apple’s argument that the injunction should apply only to Epic Games rather than to developers more broadly.
- The panel agreed Apple’s 27% fee on external purchases and certain design rules had a prohibitive effect on steering, while clarifying Apple may not make links hard to use but may limit link prominence relative to its own interface.
- The case returns to the trial court to set a permissible, non‑prohibitive commission, with the district judge’s prior referral of Apple to federal prosecutors for possible criminal contempt still part of the record.