Judge Rules Apple Willfully Violated Court Order In Epic Games Trial

Federal judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said that Apple willfully violated an injunction from 2021 during the Epic Games Trial this Wednesday. Gonzalez Rogers also ordered the tech giant to immediately cease collecting commissions on external App Store sales and to allow developers to freely direct customers to alternative payment methods.

According to the court filing, after the trials with Epic Games in 2021, the court issued an injunction restraining Apple from engaging in anti-competitive behaviors such as charging high percentages on commissions for app downloads through the App Store and another percentage through off-app sales—30 and 27% respectively. The document also prevented Apple from discouraging developers and customers from using alternatives.

“The Court FINDS Apple in willful violation of this Court’s 2021 Injunction, which was issued to restrain and prohibit Apple’s anticompetitive conduct and anti-competitive pricing,” states the document. “Apple’s continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated.”

The judge said that Apple “knew exactly what it was doing and at every turn chose the most

anticompetitive option”, and the company’s executives lied under oath. The tech giant was urged to comply with the court’s requirements and the previous injunction.

“This is an injunction, not a negotiation,” declared the judge. “Effective immediately, Apple will no longer impede developers’ ability to communicate with users nor will they levy or impose a new commission on off-app purchases.”

Gonzalez Rogers also accused Apple of withholding information and documents of a meeting with CEO Tim Cook, and that the company has abused its privileges to avoid providing the required data. According to the judge’s statements, it was Cook who refused to comply with the court’s requirements and wanted to keep the high commissions on sales.

Many have been calling this new ruling a win for Epic Games. The video game company has been in multiple legal battles against tech giants for anti-competitive behaviours, including a recent lawsuit against Google and Samsung for blocking competition in app distribution.