In the US, Apple was prohibited from taking a commission on sales made outside the App Store

A significant development has occurred in the longstanding legal battle between Apple and Epic Games. An American court has issued a ruling that mandates Apple to immediately stop charging commissions on payments made outside its app store.

According to the published decision, the "apple" corporation is prohibited from:

• taking any payments from purchases made by a customer outside the app (this refers to an app downloaded from the App Store);
• restricting developers on how to provide links to purchases that lead outside the app (in terms of design and placement);
• blocking or limiting the use of buttons "and other calls to action";
• influencing the user's decision to leave the app with anything other than a "neutral message informing them about moving to a third-party site."

In simpler terms, developers are now entitled to offer a separate screen as an additional monetization option in an iOS game, where they can advertise buying certain items on the game’s webpage, perhaps with a significant discount.

Furthermore, Apple itself could face criminal prosecution. The presiding judge, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, accused the company of contempt of court.

Back in December 2021, the judge ordered Apple to allow developers to add links/buttons for alternative payment methods in apps.

Apple's attempt to circumvent this order led to the introduction of a commission for sales occurring outside the store, amounting to 27% of the transaction (12% for Small Business Program participants).

According to Gonzalez, the corporation disregarded the court's injunction. Thus, the case was referred to the U.S. Attorney for consideration of possible criminal proceedings.

Apple told our colleagues at The Verge that the company completely disagrees with the court's decision. They will comply with the court's ruling but plan to file an appeal.

As for Epic Games, its CEO Tim Sweeney announced that Fortnite would be available in the U.S. App Store next week.

Recall that the nearly five-year standoff between the two giants began when Apple removed the game from the App Store for policy violations after Epic Games introduced a payment system allowing players to pay for in-game content directly.