The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to pause a lower court order that holds Apple in contempt of court in the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Epic Games, Reuters is reporting.
The dispute dates back to 2020 when Epic Games, the creator of the hit game Fortnite, sued Apple. Epic argued that the tech giant’s anti-steering rules, which prevented developers from telling users about cheaper payment options outside of the App Store, were anticompetitive.
While Apple won most of that original lawsuit, a judge ruled in 2021 that the company must allow developers to include buttons or links to outside payment methods. Apple eventually complied but added a new rule i.e. it would still collect a 27% commission on those external sales. Epic Games fought back, claiming that a 27% fee makes external links practically useless for developers.
Last year, a trial judge agreed and held Apple in contempt, stating that the company’s new fees violated the spirit of the court’s original order. Apple asked the Supreme Court to put a stay on this contempt ruling. The company argued that being labeled as “in contempt” is unfair and could cause “irreparable harm” to its global business model.
Because the Supreme Court refused to step in, Apple must return to a district court in California. There, a judge will lead remand proceedings to decide what a reasonable commission rate actually looks like.
Interestingly, while this legal fight continues, Apple has been forced to charge zero commission on these external links since April 2025 as part of its punishment. This current zero-fee period will likely stay in place until the court finalizes a new, fairer rate.
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