Rogers wrote in the decision that she disagreed with both Apple and Epic Games over the framing of the market Apple allegedly dominates. Since the trial ended but before the decision was handed down, Apple has made several changes to mollify critics, some as part of settlements with other app developers, including relaxing some rules about emailing customers to encourage them to make off-app purchases and allowing some links in apps. "Epic is fighting for fair competition among in-app payment methods and app stores for a billion consumers." "Today's ruling isn't a win for developers or for consumers," Sweeney tweeted. Epic Games will appeal the decision, a spokeswoman told CNBC.Įpic Games CEO Tim Sweeney criticized the ruling in a statement on Twitter. "We are very pleased with the court's ruling and we consider this a huge win for Apple," Apple general counsel Kate Adams said.Īpple did not say if it would appeal the injunction.
People familiar with the trial previously told CNBC that both sides expected the decision to be appealed regardless of what it was. The trial took place in Oakland, California, in May, and included both company CEOs testifying in open court. "Given the trial record, the Court cannot ultimately conclude that Apple is a monopolist under either federal or state antitrust laws," Rogers wrote. However, Rogers said Apple was not a monopolist and "success is not illegal." "When coupled with Apple's incipient antitrust violations, these anti-steering provisions are anticompetitive and a nationwide remedy to eliminate those provisions is warranted." "The Court concludes that Apple's anti-steering provisions hide critical information from consumers and illegally stifle consumer choice," Rogers wrote. The injunction will come into effect in December. Apple won on nine of 10 counts but was found to engage in anticompetitive conduct under California law, and will be forced to change its App Store policies and loosen its grip over in-app purchases. The decision concludes the first part of the battle between the two companies over Apple's App Store policies and whether they stifle competition. The injunction addresses a longstanding developer complaint and raises the possibility that developers could direct their users to their website to subscribe to or purchase digital content, hurting Apple's App Store sales, which grossed an estimated $64 billion in 2020.Īpple stock dropped more than 3% in trading Friday.
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