Apple will be forced to allow developers to link to other stores after it was denied a stay following the recent Epic Games trial.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has denied Apple’s request for a stay of the injunction, forcing it to let app developers link to third-party payment options. Apple now has 90 days to comply with the court order.
A permanent injunction was issued on September 10 in the Apple v Epic Games case, restricting Apple from imposing app store rules which deny developers the ability to use other platforms to monetise their apps.
“[Apple is] permanently restrained and enjoined from prohibiting developers from including in their apps and their metadata buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms, in addition to In-App Purchasing and communicating with customers through points of contact obtained voluntarily from customers through account registration within the app,” read the official ruling.
Apple soon lodged an appeal, citing the complicated nature of enforcing the injunction.
“It’s going to take months to figure out the engineering, economic, business, and other issues,” said Apple attorney Mark Perry. “It is exceedingly complicated. There have to be guardrails and guidelines to protect children, to protect developers, to protect consumers, to protect Apple. And they have to be written into guidelines that can be explained and enforced and applied.”
However, Judge Gonzalez Rogers has since denied Apple’s appeal, forcing the company to allow app developers to use third-party payment options. And this has to be enacted within the original 90 days.
“You haven’t asked for additional time,” said Judge Gonzalez Rogers. “You’ve asked for an injunction which would effectively take years. You asked for an across-the-board stay which could take three, four, five years.”
Apple now has until December 9 to fully comply with the court order.
