I was going to write this up after Windows Weekly, but we’re running late, so…
The New York Times reports:
A federal appeals court delivered a last-minute reprieve to Apple on Wednesday, agreeing to the company’s request to delay a legal order requiring it to make policy changes to its App Store that could help app developers circumvent what they say are unfair fees.
If the appeals court had not ruled, Apple on Thursday would have had to start allowing companies to include links within their apps directing customers to outside websites where they can pay for those companies’ services or subscriptions. That would have prevented Apple from taking a cut of up to 30 percent on those transactions.
The order was initially made in September as part of the verdict in a yearlong court case between Apple and Epic Games, the creator of the popular video game Fortnite. Epic sued Apple, accusing it of engaging in anticompetitive behavior that harmed developers and consumers through its fees and strict App Store rules.
In a brief document, three judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit wrote that Apple could wait to make any changes until the appeals process for the Epic lawsuit concluded, which could take more than a year.
The ruling adds another wrinkle in a lengthy legal battle over whether app developers have the right to inform their customers about ways to pay for their services outside the App Store.