Apple on Monday lodged an attraction to problem a US choose’s ruling that ordered the tech firm to right away open its profitable App Retailer to extra competitors.
Apple in a courtroom discover mentioned it can ask the San Francisco-based ninth US Circuit Court docket of Appeals to assessment the April 30 ruling, which discovered the corporate in contempt of an earlier order in a 2020 antitrust lawsuit introduced by Epic Video games.
US District Decide Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers mentioned in her resolution that Apple willfully didn’t adjust to a 2021 injunction designed to permit builders to extra simply steer shoppers to probably cheaper non-Apple fee choices.
Gonzalez Rogers additionally referred Apple and one among its executives to federal prosecutors for a potential felony contempt investigation. She refused to place her order on maintain, accusing Apple of delaying and purposefully deceptive the courtroom.
“Apple sought to maintain a revenue stream worth billions in direct defiance of this court’s injunction,” Gonzalez Rogers mentioned.
Apple had denied violating phrases of the courtroom’s order.
Apple and Epic Video games didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
Apple’s attraction discover did embody its deliberate authorized arguments.
The lawsuit by Epic Video games, the maker of on-line online game Fortnite, aimed to loosen Apple’s grip over transactions in functions that use its iOS working system and the way apps are distributed to shoppers.
Gonzalez Rogers ordered Apple to finish a number of practices that she mentioned had been designed to avoid her earlier injunction, together with a brand new 27% charge it imposed on app builders when Apple clients full an app buy outdoors the App Retailer.
The choose additionally barred Apple from utilizing so-called “scare screens” to discourage shoppers from utilizing third-party fee choices.
