While U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’ ruling in the Apple vs. Epic Games trial last month absolved the iPhone maker of antitrust allegations, it also required Apple to make a massive change to its App Store policies: let Epic, and other developers, tell users about alternative payment solutions in apps, and even link out to their own transaction systems, circumventing Apple’s infamous 30% commission on App Store transactions.
According to Bloomberg, Apple doesn’t plan on complying just yet. The Cupertino, California, based tech giant on Friday filed notice that it will be appealing the court ruling in question.
The notice also asks Judge Gonzalez Rogers to suspend her December 9 deadline for Apple to make the necessary amendments to its App Store policies for the duration of the appeals process, which could take a year at the very least.
In its Friday filing, Apple said that it wants to “maintain the status quo”, adding that “there’s no reason to expend resources” on making changes to the App Store during the appeals process. Apple went on to warn of “unintended downstream consequences for consumers and the iOS platform” if the court’s December 9 deadline is upheld.
“Apple is working hard to address these difficult issues in a changing world, enhancing information flow without compromising the consumer experience,” said the company.
A hearing on Apple’s stay request is scheduled for November 16, but the company said in a briefing that it wants to move the proceeding up to November 2. Apple also said that if Judge Gonzalez Rogers does not grant the stay, the company could approach the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
According to Apple, the company might be able to figure out a way to address concerns without needing to let developers facilitate transactions outside of the App Store if the stay is granted. The company certainly has a lot of motivation to do so — analysts estimate the mandated App Store changes could tank Apple’s annual revenue by $2-4 billion USD.
