Apple Appeals Contempt Finding Regarding App Store Fees to Supreme Court

Apple is seeking a reversal from the Supreme Court regarding a contempt finding that could prevent the company from charging high commission fees when developers direct iPhone users to non-Apple payment methods for app purchases. This finding arose from a case initiated by Epic Games, which accused Apple of breaching a judicial order that mandated changes to its App Store practices. The order required Apple to permit developers to include links for payments outside of its ecosystem, but Apple implemented this only after imposing a 27 percent commission for these link-outs. In December, Apple lost an appeal in which it defended its commission structure as reasonable. The 9th Circuit Court determined that Apple violated the intent of the order by imposing fees that were excessively high, discouraging developers from updating their apps to benefit from reduced fees.