Court rejects Apple’s request in Epic Games lawsuit

Apple’s bid at the Supreme Court had been aimed at staving off returning to the trial ⁠court while it pursued its legal challenge before the justices

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected on Wednesday Apple’s request to ​temporarily block a judicial order that found the iPhone maker in violation of sweeping court-mandated changes to its lucrative ‌App Store as part of an antitrust lawsuit by “Fortnite” maker Epic Games.

Justice Elena Kagan, on behalf of the court, declined to pause a ruling by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that deemed Apple in contempt in the Epic lawsuit contesting App Store fees.

The Supreme Court’s action means Apple will return to ​U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, to quarrel over what commission the company can lawfully charge for certain ​app-related transactions. Apple’s bid at the Supreme Court had been aimed at staving off returning to the trial ⁠court while it pursued its legal challenge before the justices.

Epic Games Chief Executive Tim Sweeney said in a statement that the Supreme Court ​has considered Apple’s delaying motion and found it unworthy.

Apple and Epic have clashed for years over the ​rules governing Apple’s App Store. The contempt ruling and the scope of Apple’s court-ordered obligations are the latest issues in the dispute to reach the Supreme Court. Apple has said the 9th Circuit decision would affect how millions of app purchases are made.

Epic Games won the contempt order last year as part of litigation it ​brought in 2020 seeking to loosen Apple’s control over transactions in applications that use the company’s iOS operating system and its restrictions on ​how apps are distributed to consumers.