Apple files new appeal in ongoing legal battle with Epic Games

Apple has filed another appeal in its long-running case against Epic Games, seeking to overturn a court ruling that requires the company to allow third-party payment systems in iOS apps without paying the standard App Store commission.

This marks Apple’s second attempt to challenge the order. The move follows an April ruling by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who found that Apple had failed to comply with the original 2021 injunction and held the company in contempt of court. The ruling required Apple to permit alternative payment methods and reduce its commission from 30% to 27%.

Apple has now appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, arguing that the judge exceeded her authority by expanding the scope of the previous order. The company’s filing requests either the cancellation of the April decision and reassignment of the case to another judge or a full review of the 2021 injunction.

“The injunction breaches well-established guardrails on the civil contempt power, and its sweeping new restrictions on Apple violate several independent limits, including the Constitution itself,” Apple wrote in the filing.

The dispute between Apple and Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, began in 2020 after the game was removed from the App Store for bypassing Apple’s 30% fee through its own payment system. The legal battle has now stretched into its fifth year, with both sides continuing to seek rulings in their favor.

Apple previously attempted to overturn the verdict in 2024, but the court upheld Judge Rogers’s decision. The latest appeal underscores Apple’s continued resistance to regulatory constraints on its ecosystem as it defends its right to charge developers for using App Store infrastructure.