US Supreme Court Declines to Hear Apple vs. Epic Games Case

[MacRumors]

The United States Supreme Court today declined to hear separate requests from both Apple and Epic Games in their long-standing lawsuit against each other with regards to App Store rules.

Apple made the request in September 2023, asking the Supreme Court to hear its appeal about the portion of its legal dispute that was ruled in Epic's favor. This was Apple's so-called "anti-steering" rule that bars developers of many iOS apps from directing users to methods of purchase available outside of the App Store, circumventing Apple's revenue cut.

The Supreme Court also declined to hear a request from Epic Games to make a ruling on the case. The Supreme Court was the last stop for Epic Games after it lost an appeal earlier this year. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in April 2023 sided with the lower court and ruled that Apple's App Store rules do not violate antitrust law by not allowing for third-party marketplaces.

The dispute between Apple and Epic dates back to 2020 with Epic seeking to overturn Apple's App Store rules requiring content purchases within iOS apps to go through Apple, which takes a 15% to 30% cut of the revenue.

In multiple rounds of the dispute, Apple has won on every count with the exception of just one regarding Apple's "anti-steering" rule. In July 2023, a judge ruled that Apple did not have to make changes to its policies.

As a result of the Supreme Court's decision today, the previous rulings stand and Apple is able to continue to disallow third-party payment processing within apps, but will have to allow developers to inform users about other purchasing options outside of the App Store.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: US Supreme Court Declines to Hear Apple vs. Epic Games Case

 

[icanhazmac]

As a result of the Supreme Court's decision today, the previous rulings stand and Apple is able to continue to disallow third-party payment processing within apps

Great news! While anyone can get hacked I trust the Apple payment processor far more than some no-name discount outfit an indy dev might use to save $$. Epic, most likely, wouldn't cheap out but others will.

 

[bayportbob]

until something really happens that would change my mind on this topic, I believe the Supreme Court made the correct determination on this matter...

 

[contacos]

I would not want to be working as a developer at Apple right now. So many things that need to be changed lately and hard deadlines (e. g. the EU stuff by March) and now this

 

[spazzcat]

Great news! While anyone can get hacked I trust the Apple payment processor far more than some no-name discount outfit an indy dev might use to save $$.

If you don't offer payments for you sub, I move on. There is no way to know how much a hassle you will have when you want to cancel.

 

[AdonisSMU]

I think this was the right decision but I would've liked the SCOTUS to rule on it so the case can be settled.

 

[spazzcat]

I think this was the right decision but I would've liked the SCOTUS to rule on it so the case can be settled.

It is settled now.

 

[erikkfi]

While not the full win consumers deserve (and that EU citizens are about to get), this is still a big win. All of my app subscriptions are processed outside the reach of Apple’s developer tax and it’ll be good for more people to be aware of that option.

 

[iSRS]

I think this was the right decision but I would've liked the SCOTUS to rule on it so the case can be settled.

It is settled now.

Exactly as @spazzcat says. It’s settled now. The SCOTUS has declined to hear the case, meaning it accepts the lower court’s opinion as the law of the land. No further appeals unless there is new information that has come to light that would potentially change the outcome. Not just “I don’t like the decision”

 

[phenste]

so this is finally over?

like, finally?

glad to see it. Epic chose a battle stupid enough to live up to the company name, lost, tried every single legal avenue available to reverse that, and still lost. been quite the 4-year trip.

 

[BGPL]

Yes! This along with the EU deadline looming, we are about to break away from Apple's greedy chains. Can't wait to put whatever apps I want on my iPhone. USB-C charging is great, btw... half the cables I used to have.

 

[Robin Bonathan]

so this is finally over?

like, finally?

glad to see it. Epic chose a battle stupid enough to live up to the company name, lost, tried every single legal avenue available to reverse that, and still lost. been quite the 4-year trip.

I hope so.

 

[phenste]

Yes! This along with the EU deadline looming, we are about to break away from Apple's greedy chains. Can't wait to put whatever apps I want on my iPhone. USB-C charging is great, btw... half the cables I used to have.

…you realize this means that Apple gets to continue doing everything they were in the U.S. before Epic began this battle, and Epic/other developers have gained absolutely nothing from this, right?

 

[sunny5]

Anti-steering rule is not YET concluded which is the most critical part for Apple. Even if Apple wins, Epic still win on the most critical part and therefore, it's not really a good news until it finalize the rule.

Whoever disagree or laugh means they know nothing about it. It clearly said so. Is it really hard to read it?

 

[aParkerMusic]

Yes! This along with the EU deadline looming, we are about to break away from Apple's greedy chains. Can't wait to put whatever apps I want on my iPhone. USB-C charging is great, btw... half the cables I used to have.

Your response doesnt seem to be related to this article at all…

Apple won on everything except the “anti-steering” part, so, you’ll be notified about subscribing outside the app, but unless you’re in the EU, nothing else changes. Perhaps you are in the EU, but your comment seems to imply far greater changes (and this article is about US law, not EU).

 

[aParkerMusic]

Anti-steering rule is not YET concluded which is the most critical part for Apple. Even if Apple wins, Epic still win on the most critical part and therefore, it's not really a good news until it finalize the rule.

This seems like a desperate attempt to make it look bad for Apple.

This was not the most critical part. The App Store remains as the one place to download apps, and most people will continue to do so, regardless of small discounts outside of it (Also, it’s doubtful developers will actually offer discounts, they just want to keep more of the same price, let’s be honest)

 

[dominiongamma]

Epic will say it’s rigged probably now

 

[adamw]

Glad to receive clarity and closure on the legal status of the App Store from The Supreme Court on this long-running case.

 

[tingly]

The Supreme Court gets far more appeals than they can handle. Denials to hear are because they agree with the lower court's ruling, lack of time, or both. I don't know what the deal is with either of these appeals. Although these appeals are settled, case law isn't settled until the Supreme Court rules. [if you still don't think so, see Carnegie's post a couple pages down for more]

 

[spazzcat]

so this is finally over?

like, finally?

glad to see it. Epic chose a battle stupid enough to live up to the company name, lost, tried every single legal avenue available to reverse that, and still lost. been quite the 4-year trip.

And they lost millions in App Store revenue. Their CEO should be fired.

 

[spazzcat]

The Supreme Court gets far more appeals than they can handle. Denials to hear are because they agree with the lower court's ruling, lack of time, or both. I don't know what the deal is with either of these appeals. Although these appeals are settled, case law isn't settled until the Supreme Court rules.

Declining to hear is a ruling, they are ruling the lower court is correct.

 

[Student of Life]

So I guess at this point with the law being settled, the pertinent question is will Epic return to the App Store or continue to lose millions?

 

[wanha]

so this is finally over?

like, finally?

glad to see it. Epic chose a battle stupid enough to live up to the company name, lost, tried every single legal avenue available to reverse that, and still lost. been quite the 4-year trip.

Another way to describe Epic's decision to pursue this case would be "Elon-esque"

 

[HurtinMinorKey]

…you realize this means that Apple gets to continue doing everything they were in the U.S. before Epic began this battle, and Epic/other developers have gained absolutely nothing from this, right?

Except they can't prevent devs from circumventing the app tax by directing users to payment options outside of the app. Seems like a pretty big deal.

 

[lkrupp]

So someone answer this question. Does this mean developers can now get to place their product in the App Store without paying Apple anything for operating the App Store? They get to collect 100% of the price off their app and Apple gets $0 for hosting their app? How can this be fair to Apple? We already know that big retailers charge manufacturers for premium shelf space placement.

Here’s another question. I download an app from Apple’s App Store but I pay for it using the developer’s third party payment processor. I decide the app isn't what I want and I want a refund, or I claim it was an unauthorized payment. Who’s on the hook to give me my money back? Who do i blame if I’m turned down. What if my kid ran up a thousand dollar bill on a game I got from the App Store but paid for elsewhere? We all know the answer but I guarantee the average user will expect Apple to make things right since it’s their App Store.