On 24 April, a U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeal upheld a federal court’s order in an antitrust case brought by Epic Games against Apple[1] that could force Apple to change payment practices in its App Store by allowing developers to provide access to third-party in-app payment options to avoid them having to pay the 30% fee on customers’ in-app purchases.
Apple, however, broadly won the court fight against Epic Games, winning on nine other matters, with the Court agreeing that App Store rules do not violate antitrust laws.
The panel’s decision to uphold the district court’s ruling banning Apple’s anti-steering provisions is a big win as it creates a pathway to increasing the use of the open web by giving iOS developers the flexibility to conduct their business outside the App Store.
[1] https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2023/04/24/21-16506.pdf.