In a short but sweet response, Apple said, “We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court’s order and we will appeal.”
Wednesday, Rogers ruled that Apple was in contempt and accused the tech giant of trying to violate the rulings she made in the 2021 case. The judge explained that after her decision in 2021, purchases made off-app by iPhone users would be expected not to have any commission or cut for Apple. But all Apple did in 2024 was reduce the cut it would receive from 30% to 27%.
“In stark contrast to Apple’s initial in-court testimony, contemporaneous business documents reveal that Apple knew exactly what it was doing and at every turn chose the most anti-competitive option. To hide the truth, Vice-President of Finance, Alex Roman, outright lied under oath.”
-Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers
“It’s a huge victory for developers, and it means all developers can offer their own payment service side-by-side with Apple’s payment service. This forces Apple to compete. This is what we wanted all along.”
-Epic CEO Tim Sweeney
Additionally, Apple will be responsible for Epic’s attorney fees related to this issue. Judge Gonzalez Rogers had no sympathy for the company. “This is an injunction, not a negotiation. There are no do-overs once a party willfully disregards a court order,” the judge wrote.
