Apple Seeks App Store Order Freeze Amid Epic Games Antitrust Battle

Apple has petitioned a federal appeals court to temporarily halt significant parts of a ruling made by a US judge that mandated the tech giant to promptly allow increased competition in its profitable App Store.

Apple informed the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in a submission on Wednesday that failure to pause the April 30 order could lead to irreparable damage while the iPhone manufacturer’s legal dispute continues.

The company is contesting a judgment that deemed it in contempt of a previous ruling stemming from a 2020 antitrust case initiated by Epic Games, known for the online game Fortnite.

In its submission, Apple asserted that the new ruling hinders the corporation from «maintaining control over essential components of its business operations.»

US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers instructed Apple to cease several practices that she indicated were meant to bypass the injunction. Apple’s submission highlighted two of these practices, particularly the court’s prohibition against a newly imposed 27 percent fee on app developers when users purchase through methods outside of the App Store.

In its argument, Apple claimed that a federal court cannot «compel Apple to indefinitely provide free access to its products and services.»

Apple is also contesting a section of the judge’s mandate that prohibits the company from limiting where developers can place purchase links outside of an app.

Epic Games stated that Apple’s effort to suspend the trial judge’s order is a «last-ditch attempt to inhibit competition and impose exorbitant fees that burden consumers and developers.»

According to Epic, Apple has encountered a «wave of authentic competition» since the injunction was issued last week, as developers modified apps with «improved payment options, better deals, and enhanced consumer choices.»

Within the original lawsuit, Epic Games filed suit against Apple to reduce its authority over transactions within applications utilizing its iOS operating system and the distribution of apps to users.

The company from Cupertino, California, deliberately disregarded a 2021 injunction designed to facilitate developers in guiding consumers towards potentially lower-priced non-Apple payment options, as indicated by Gonzalez Rogers in her ruling.

«Apple attempted to preserve a revenue stream worth billions in outright defiance of this court’s injunction,» stated Gonzalez Rogers.

Gonzalez Rogers mentioned that Apple had misled the court regarding its compliance measures and referred the company along with one of its executives to federal prosecutors for a potential criminal contempt inquiry.

© Thomson Reuters 2025

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