Apple is required to file proposed App Store fees for certain “link-out” and alternative payment activities after a U.S. court denies its request to pause the proceedings. Apple’s stay request is rejected while the case continues in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
The dispute stems from litigation between Apple and Epic Games over how much Apple can charge in connection with developers directing users to purchase options outside the App Store. Apple is seeking to calculate fees tied to outbound links and alternative payment methods, but the court presses forward rather than waiting for the U.S. Supreme Court’s October term, where the broader matter is set to be heard.
Epic’s CEO Tim Sweeney publicly portrays the denial as a refusal by Apple to delay filing, while also signaling that Epic plans to provide a legal analysis of Apple’s proposed fee structure for the court to evaluate. Separately, earlier court findings had limited or halted Apple’s ability to collect such fees, and appellate rulings have sent the question of what constitutes “reasonable” fees back to the district court.
Overall, outlets agree on the immediate procedural outcome: Apple is not granted extra time and must submit an outline of the fees it wants to charge within 24 hours, with Epic then given time to respond ahead of a court hearing.
