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App Store fight continues as Apple and Epic clash over court-ordered stay

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Why This Matters

The ongoing legal battle between Apple and Epic highlights the intense scrutiny and regulatory pressure on app store practices, especially regarding payment policies and fees. The case's outcome could significantly influence app store rules, developer freedoms, and consumer choices, shaping the future landscape of digital commerce and platform regulation.

Key Takeaways

Apple and Epic have filed new requests over whether the court should keep or lift a recent stay in their ongoing App Store legal battle. Here are the details.

Some recent context on this sprawling case

Last Monday, April 6, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit granted Apple’s motion to stay a recent ruling requiring it to loosen certain App Store rules related to alternative payment methods.

Apple filed the motion on Friday, April 3, and the court granted it on Monday, April 6.

On that same Monday, Epic filed a motion (two, actually. We’ll get to that) asking the court to reconsider its decision to grant Apple’s motion for stay.

In its motion, Epic argued that the court’s decision was issued prematurely, as under the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, it would have had 10 days to file its response opposing Apple’s request to stay the mandate.

Granted, this federal rule states that the court may act before this 10-day period, “but only if the court gives reasonable notice to the parties that it intends to act sooner.” However, according to Epic, that wasn’t the case.

So, on April 6, Epic filed two motions: one asking the court to reconsider its April 6 decision to grant Apple’s motion for stay, and a second motion opposing Apple’s original motion, from April 3, to stay the order.

Epic also called Apple’s motion to stay “another delay tactic to prevent the court from establishing significant and permanent bounds on Apple’s ability to charge junk fees on third-party payments.”

Apple responds

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