The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily paused part of the ongoing Apple-Epic Games dispute, giving Apple another day before it must respond to a lower-court order over App Store commissions.
The temporary pause does not resolve Apple’s broader legal fight with Epic Games. Instead, it gives the Supreme Court more time to consider Apple’s request for a longer stay while it reviews an earlier contempt ruling.
Supreme Court Gives Apple More Time
The latest development follows a decision by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who rejected Apple’s request to pause the lower-court proceedings while the Supreme Court reviews the contempt ruling.
The dispute stems from an injunction requiring Apple to allow developers to direct users to payment options outside the App Store. Apple subsequently allowed those links but imposed a 27% commission on purchases made through them.
Gonzalez Rogers later found Apple in contempt, while Apple argued that the original injunction did not explicitly prevent it from charging a commission on external purchases.
The Supreme Court agreed to review that contempt ruling, but the separate proceedings in the Northern District of California have continued. Gonzalez Rogers is still responsible for determining what commission, if any, Apple can charge on purchases made outside the App Store.
Apple had been ordered to submit its proposed commission and supporting evidence by 5 p.m. Wednesday. After the lower court rejected Apple’s request for a pause, the company made an emergency request to the Supreme Court.
Justice Elena Kagan granted a temporary administrative stay, delaying the lower-court proceedings until 5 p.m. Thursday while the Supreme Court considers Apple’s request for a longer stay.
The order does not mean Apple has won the underlying dispute. It simply gives the Supreme Court additional time to decide whether the lower-court proceedings should remain paused while the justices review the contempt case.
If the Supreme Court grants a longer stay, the proceedings over Apple’s external-payment commission could remain on hold for the duration of the review. Otherwise, Apple could soon face the lower court’s deadline to provide its proposed fee.
The Supreme Court’s decision could therefore determine how quickly the separate fight over App Store commissions moves forward, while the larger legal dispute between Apple and Epic continues.
(via Bloomberg)
