Even though it defeated other tech companies in a lengthy antitrust lawsuit, Apple is asking the Supreme Court to further cement its victory.
The lawsuit, originally filed by “Fortnite” creator Epic Games, sought to weaken Apple’s rules regarding payment through the App Store. Under those rules, Apple receives 15%-30% of all payments in apps sold through the App Store.
Even though the court ruled in Apple’s favor, it said the company’s anti-steering rules violated the law.
Steering rules essentially prohibit companies such as Epic from putting links to separate websites where users can pay for subscriptions or other services, cutting out Apple.
Now Apple has filed a new motion that would put the court’s ruling on hold for 90 days while the company appeals to the Supreme Court. The hold on the ruling will stay until the Supreme Court resolves the filing.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney on Twitter expressed his distaste for the filing.
“Sadly, Apple’s anti-steering rules — which both the District Court and the 9th Circuit Court found to be illegal — will remain in place, as the 9th Court stayed the injunction that puts an end to the practice,” he tweeted. “Justice delayed, again.”
Milan D. Smith Jr., the 9th circuit judge who ruled against Apple, also weighed in on the company’s move, saying its arguments “cannot withstand even the slightest scrutiny.”
The battle over in-app payments has been long and brutal for companies seeking to make it easier for customers to manage subscriptions within their apps. Popular streaming apps like Spotify and Netflix have created their own non-Apple workarounds that include going to the companies’ websites.
