The legal battle between Apple and Epic Games is now heading to the United States Supreme Court. According to a report by Reuters, the top US court has agreed to hear Apple’s appeal against a contempt ruling related to its App Store policies.
The case goes back to 2020, when the maker of popular game Fortnite — Epic Games — sued Apple over the way it controls payments and app distribution on iPhones.
The gaming company had alleged that Apple’s App Store rules were unfair and limited competition.
In 2021, a US district court ordered Apple to allow app developers to add links in their apps that can take users to external payment systems. This was seen as a big change to Apple’s App Store model.
However, the dispute did not end there. The Cupertino-based tech giant allowed these links but introduced new rules, including a 27 per cent commission on purchases made through external payment systems within seven days of clicking those links.
Epic Games objected to this, saying it violated the court’s earlier order.
In 2025, a US judge found Apple in contempt for not fully following the injunction. Apple has denied this and argued that it did not break any direct court order.
“This is an important question of law, and we are pleased the Supreme Court will hear our case,” Apple said in a statement shared with Reuters.
Epic Games also responded strongly and said it will continue to challenge what it calls “junk fees Apple charges on third-party payments.” The company added that lower courts “have rightly found Apple’s fees to be illegal and anticompetitive, and we’ll continue to defend free markets.”
Now, the Supreme Court will review whether Apple can be held in contempt for violating the spirit of a court order rather than a specific rule. The hearing is expected to take place in the court’s next term starting October.
(with inputs from Reuters)