A US federal judge has ruled that Apple willfully violated a 2021 injunction in an ongoing competition case brought by Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers found Apple in contempt of court for effectively ignoring her previous order to stop prohibiting app developers from linking customers to their own purchasing mechanisms.
In Wednesday’s ruling, Judge Rogers stated that “Apple’s continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated” and ordered that Apple “no longer impede developers’ ability to communicate with users nor will they levy or impose a new commission on off-app purchases.” The matter has been referred to a California district attorney to investigate whether criminal contempt proceedings are warranted.
The judge also made the serious accusation that Apple’s vice-president of finance, Alex Roman, lied “outright” under oath during proceedings.
The case originates from a 2020 lawsuit filed by Epic Games, which alleged Apple had created an illegal monopoly through its App Store by forcing developers to use Apple’s payment system and taking up to 30% commission on transactions. While the monopoly claims were rejected, Apple was ordered to lower barriers around payments and allow developers to show consumers links to alternative payment methods.
Following the ruling, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney took to social media with a “peace proposal,” offering to return Fortnite to the App Store worldwide and drop all current and future litigation if Apple extends the court’s “friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework” globally.
“Apple’s 15-30% junk fees are now just as dead here in the United States of America as they are in Europe under the Digital Markets Act. Unlawful here, unlawful there,” Sweeney added.