At the very end of April, the American courts ruled that Apple must open the App Store to web competition. In concrete terms, developers (unfortunately, only American ones) can now communicate freely with their users about their products, items, and other subscriptions to purchase online, without the sword of Damocles of the 15/30% commission to be paid to Apple. As astonishing as it may seem, the manufacturer had denied them this possibility until now.
The Supreme Court in the Crosshairs
The decision, taken as part of the interminable Epic vs. Apple case, quickly had its effects: several applications seized the opportunity to free themselves from the shackles of the App Store, such as Spotify, Amazon, Patreon, and others.
But obviously, Apple doesn't see it that way and has filed an appeal in the hope of a suspension of the provisions opening the App Store. This would have allowed it to return to the situation before. Apple believed that the decision prevented it "from exercising control over essential aspects of its business operations." But the Federal Court of Appeals didn't see it that way.
"We are not persuaded that a suspension is appropriate," the judges explained. The doors of the App Store therefore remain wide open, to the great delight of developers and publishers who can thus freely circumvent the iron grip that Apple has always exerted over its store.
It must also be said that the company shot itself once or twice in the foot: in the original decision, the court found that a vice president had lied under oath and that Apple had attempted to conceal evidence. The Apple company says it is "disappointed" by the rejection of the appeal, and intends to continue the fight in court. Probably all the way to the US Supreme Court now.
Source: Reuters
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