Monday, 23 Dec 2024

US Supreme Court Grants Apple’s Request to Delay App Store Changes Until Final Ruling

Apple has scored yet another victory in its legal battle with Epic Games, with the US Supreme Court ruling that Apple does not have to make changes to the App Store till the case is decided.

Epic Games has largely lost its legal battle against Apple and its App Store business, with Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers siding with Apple on all but one count. Notably, the judge ruled that Apple was not a monopoly. The one point that Epic won was Judge Rogers’ ruling that Apple must allow developers to link to third-party payment options, thereby giving them the ability to bypass Apple’s commission.

Both companies appealed Judge Rogers’ ruling, with the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals court upholding her decision in its entirety. The court did, however, grant Apple a 90-day hold on implementing the App Store changes to give the company time to appeal to the Supreme Court.

According to Reuters, the Supreme Court has weighed in, saying Apple does not have to comply with the injunction requiring it to make changes to the App Store until the Supreme Court makes its final ruling in the case.

The ruling is a big win for Apple, ensuring it does not have to make costly changes to its business model, which the company alluded to in its statements to the Ninth Circuit Court.

“Apple will be required to change its business model to comply with the injunction before judicial review has been completed,” the company told the court at the time. “The undisputed evidence establishes that the injunction will limit Apple’s ability to protect users from fraud, scams, malware, spyware, and objectionable content.”