Apple is under investigation after a U.S. district judge found the company violated an injunction in its case with Epic Games.
The injunction, issued in 2021, required Apple to allow third-party payment options on the App Store. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney for possible criminal contempt charges.
Apple disagreed with the ruling, stating it would comply with the court’s order and appeal. Epic Games, which filed the lawsuit in 2021, challenged Apple’s 30% commission and monopolistic practices.
Judge Rogers found that Apple imposed a 27% commission on off-app purchases and created new barriers to discourage third-party platforms. In response, Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney announced Fortnite would return to the U.S. App Store and offered a peace proposal to Apple, promising to drop litigation if Apple extends the court’s framework globally.
