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| Apple does not need to make the necessary changes in the App Store |
One of the most important elements of Apple's and Epic Games' decision has been temporarily suspended by the Court of Appeals and enforcement of the lower court's order has been suspended.
Due to the shutdown, Apple will be able to use the in-app purchase system as the only source for iOS in-app payments. Although the district court had previously ruled the exclusive dealing agreement illegal.
The comment does not reflect the previous decision. However, enforcement will be suspended until the appeals court has fully processed the case, and this process could take several months.
The ruling reads: “Apple has determined that its appeal seriously challenges the District Court's decision that Epic Games failed to demonstrate that Apple's actions violate antitrust laws. However, the same actions were found to violate California's unfair competition law. So we agree with His proposal The suspension will remain in effect until this appeal is approved.
"We fear that these changes will bring new privacy and security risks and disrupt the user experience that customers enjoy in the App Store," a company spokesperson said in a statement. We thank the arbitral tribunal for its decision in the ongoing appeals process.
It should be noted that the comment did not extend to the second part of the request, which deals with user communications outside of iOS. The court ordered the company to allow communication with customers via touch points that customers received voluntarily by registering the account in the application. Not affected by the comment.
The company is also bound by an agreement with the Japan Justice Steering Committee. It places similar anti-routing restrictions on iOS in the context of the Epic Games case.
In another turn, Apple maintains a monopoly on payments in the App Store.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers asked the company in September to allow the use of third-party payment systems via the iOS app. It's part of a broader ruling that rejected Epic Games' antitrust allegations.
The court ruled that as of December 9, Apple could no longer prevent users from referring users to external buttons or links to payment systems other than the App Store, as the company did in its App Store policies.
The company had previously applied to the local court for a temporary suspension of the order. But it was rejected.