After a lengthy trial earlier this year brought by Fortnite
creator Epic Games, US District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers issued a
ruling that was largely favorable to the iPhone maker and upheld its practice
of requiring developers to use its in-app payment system, for which it charges
commissions.
But Gonzalez Rogers expressed concern that consumers did not
have access to information about other ways to pay for apps. She ordered Apple
to stop its ban on "buttons, external links, or other calls to action that
direct customers to purchasing mechanisms" beyond Apple's own payment
systems.
Apple has until December 9 to implement the order, but the
company has appealed the ruling and asked the order to be put on hold while the
appeal plays out, which could take a year or more. A hearing on the request is
set for November 9.
Apple on Friday for the first time signaled that its
strongest objections are to the requirements to allow buttons and links that
provide a "mechanism" for outside payments. The filing provided the
first suggestion that Apple objects less strongly to allowing developers to
provide information about other ways to pay.
The company said that links and buttons harm its ability to
require developers to use its in-app payments (IAP), which the court upheld.
"Restrictions on linking out are inextricably tied to
Apple's requirement that developers use IAP for purchases of digital content—a
requirement this Court considered in detail and upheld against Epic's
challenge," Apple said.
Apple posed fewer objections to in-app messages about other
forms of payment, but said it may want to "constrain their placement,
format, or content" and that the judge's orders as currently written would
not allow it to do so without facing further legal challenges. - Reuters