A US prosecutor in San Francisco on Wednesday accused Apple of breaking the law by breaking the App Store repayment program, making possible charges against it.
Apple “willfully” violated an order she issued at the trial, according to US District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who rather created new opposition restrictions with the App Store and even defrauded the court while doing so.
In an attempt allowing Epic Games to carry out the order against Apple, Gonzalez Rogers stated that it “grossed to think this jury would bear such insubordination.”
” The cover-up made it worse, as often. There is no minute bit at the apple in the eyes of this judge.
Epic, the Fortnite developer, filed the lawsuit in 2021, accusing Apple of operating its store as a monopoly on electronic goods or services, and claiming to tear Apple’s hold on the App Store.
After a test, Gonzalez Rogers decided that the App Store’s ownership did not constitute a monopoly and that it required developers to incorporate links to various online stores where they could purchase goods or services.
The prosecutor also determined at the time that the 30 percent commission Apple claims on App Store income allowed it to have” supracompetitive operating profits” that were anticompetitive, as per the order.
According to the judge, Apple’s answer to the test order included a commission-based fee for purchases made through its app store.
According to the judge, Apple even imposed fresh restrictions and requirements, including “scare monitors,” to deter users from making purchases through its App Store.
In the end, Gonzalez Rogers argued in the decision that Apple aimed to maintain a billion dollar revenue stream in direct contravention of this court’s order.
” In stark contrast to Apple’s first in-court evidence, historical company documents reveal that it knew exactly what it was doing and that it would always choose the least advantageous course of action.”
An Apple spokesperson told AFP that it will file an appeal to a higher court and may cooperate with the court’s ruling, but plans to do so.
Epic Games ‘ CEO Tim Sweeney stated in a blog on X, previously Online, that” Apple’s 15 to 30 % bad taxes are now just as useless here in the United States of America as they are in Europe.
In Sweeney’s post, a “peace plan” was posted with the promise to end current and pending prosecution if Apple reintroduces the” Apple-tax-free framework” on a global scale.
The US attorney’s office was requested by the judge to inquire as to whether punishing legal contempt penalties against Apple are appropriate” to punish previous misconduct and deter compliance in the future” ( ).
