Appeals Court Upholds App Store Payment Changes

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denied Apple's request to pause a lower court injunction, finding Apple in contempt for imposing new fees and restricting developer steering in violation of the original Epic Games ruling. As a result, developers such as Epic Games, Spotify, and Amazon can now direct users to external websites for purchases, bypassing Apple's 15%-30% commission fees. The court's decision upholds mandated App Store changes that have already promoted greater competition and better consumer choices in the U.S. app market. Apple argued that compliance could cost it hundreds of millions to billions of dollars annually and disrupt its business, but the appeals court rejected these claims. Apple has expressed disappointment and plans to continue its legal appeals. Developers and consumer advocates have welcomed the ruling as a major victory for competition.