Epic Games on Thursday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow a lower court ruling to take effect against Apple that could force the company to allow app makers to display alternative (lower) prices outside of the App Store.

Epic, maker of the popular video game “Fortnite,” filed a request asking the nation’s highest court to lift a July 17 decision by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to pause its ruling that upheld an injunction against Apple. The decision gave Apple 90 days to pursue an appeal at the Supreme Court.
The 9th Circuit in April upheld a federal judge’s 2021 order that could require Apple to allow developers to provide links and buttons that direct consumers to payment options outside the App Store and avoid paying sales commissions to Apple.
In seeking to pause the injunction from taking effect while it readies an appeal to the Supreme Court, Apple told the 9th Circuit that the trial judge had erred in prohibiting Apple from enforcing its rules against all app developers in the United States, rather than just Epic itself.
“Apple will be required to change its business model to comply with the injunction before judicial review has been completed,” the company told the 9th Circuit. “The undisputed evidence establishes that the injunction will limit Apple’s ability to protect users from fraud, scams, malware, spyware, and objectionable content.”
MacDailyNews Take: Epic is nuts. They want all of the benefits of Apple’s App Store, for free. That isn’t how any of this works. Hopefully, SCOTUS will correct the 9th Circuit judge’s foolishness which is akin to a judge issuing an injunction that forces Best Buy and Target to place signs next to each product that advertise lower prices for the same items at Walmart.
Regardless, even if the Supreme Court rules against Apple, if developers like Epic Games want to advertise lower prices using Apple’s App Store, Apple should simply begin charging an In-Store Advertising fee, because that’s exactly what it would be.
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MDN, you’re idiots. The only reason the App Store exists is because companies spend large amounts of money to create apps and content for it. Apple can’t expect to monopolize and slice off 30% of every purchase a customer of those companies makes. It’s beyond unreasonable. A lower commission rate combined with companies being free to direct customers to their own payments is a must moving forward.
Without these apps and developers Apple’s hardware sales would plummet.
Ah, who’s the idiot?
Let me see….Apple doesn’t need to provide the store at all. They could basically make every developer distribute their own software. Do all their own billing/accounting, deal with customer, pay for distribution, advertising, etc.
Oh, and the kicker is Apple would then charge them to “certify” their games meet the requirements to for Apple devices. Wait, developers have that option now. It’s call Android. How’s that working for them?
Yes, you explained EXACTLY what Developers want. Many do not want to deal with the App Store and have an open world of Apps.
Why don’t you make the same argument for Macs? Imagine if you were not allowed to install applications or otherwise outside of a Mac App Store.
Now I’m hearing you stutter and eat crow…
No, I’m not. If you don’t like it fine, go peddle whatever you pretend to develop to the Android crowd.
Yes indeed, we know who the clueless idiot is here.
Guess you forgot Apple developed the FIRST APPS on the home screen Day One of the FIRST iPhone. Years later seeded developers with the tools and workshops/training materials to develop their own apps. Then tests every App submitted by developers to ensure it matches Apple standards and when approved posts the app on the worldwide virtual store shelves to sell.
Certain Walmart does not test every product on their store shelves from toothpaste to tires to meet standards by law.
What’s beyond unreasonable is EXACTLY how MDN phrased it: “They want all of the benefits of Apple’s App Store, for free. …foolishness which is akin to a judge issuing an injunction that forces Best Buy and Target to place signs next to each product that advertise lower prices for the same items at Walmart.”
MDN is not the idiot here, YOU ARE…
So Epic can go back to its customer rip off subterfuge. No thanks! Also, dswe is a clueless troll
As the owner of the device I should never, ever, be impeded over who I choose to rip me off, on my personal property.