US Supreme Court to Review Apple's 'Contempt of Court' Case in App Fee Dispute

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to formally review the validity of a lower court ruling that held Apple in contempt of court during its app payment fee dispute with Epic Games.
The Supreme Court will hear the appeal filed by Apple, which sought to overturn the lower court's decision that deemed the commission rates Apple imposed on external payments to be in contempt of court, Reuters and Bloomberg reported on June 30 (local time).
While the Supreme Court previously rejected Apple's request to stay the lower court's ruling in May, it has now accepted the appeal on the merits of the case.
The Supreme Court plans to hold oral arguments for the case in October.
Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, filed a lawsuit in 2020, arguing that the 30% commission rate Apple collects on in-app payments is excessive.
The court subsequently ruled that Apple must allow external payment options, a decision that was finalized in January 2024.
Apple complied with the ruling by allowing external payments, but it imposed a 27% commission fee on those transactions, a rate with little difference from its in-app payment fee.
Epic Games sued again, claiming that Apple ignored the intent of the court's ruling, and the appellate court subsequently found Apple's actions to be in contempt of court.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.