Epic Games claims victory as Apple sanctioned for defying court order over App Store rules

The latest twist in the long-running legal fight between Apple and Epic Games has delivered a major blow to the company’s App Store operations. In a ruling issued Tuesday, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers found Apple in willful violation of a 2021 injunction designed to stop the company’s anticompetitive App Store practices. According to the 80-page order, Apple “thwarted the injunction’s goals” by imposing new fees and obstacles that continued to stifle competition, despite clear instructions from the court. The judge didn’t just sanction Apple — she referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for possible criminal contempt proceedings. Epic Games, which first sued Apple in 2020 over App Store restrictions and commissions, described Apple’s recent behavior as a blatant attempt to rewrite the rules. The court agreed, highlighting internal Apple documents and testimony that revealed a coordinated effort to preserve billions in App Store revenue under the guise of compliance. Apple’ ... Read full article.