Apple requests the US Supreme Court to review the contempt of court order in the Epic Games lawsuit case.

Apple on Thursday requested the United States Supreme Court to review a lower court's ruling. The ruling found the iPhone maker in civil contempt for charging fees to its App Store users for certain in-app purchases made by third parties. The petition submitted to the Supreme Court escalates the long-running legal dispute between Apple and the developer of "Fortnite", Epic Games. Epic Games sued Apple in 2020, aiming to loosen Apple's control over app transactions using its iOS operating system, as well as restrictions on how apps are distributed to consumers. While a judge largely dismissed Epic's lawsuit, they issued an injunction in 2021 requiring Apple to allow developers to include links in apps directing users to alternative payment methods besides Apple. Apple allowed for these links, but also implemented new restrictions, including charging developers a 27% commission on purchases completed through a non-App Store payment system within seven days of clicking the link. Epic argued that this new 27% commission violated the previous injunction. In 2025, the court found Apple in civil contempt for violating the injunction. Apple urged the justices on Thursday to consider two legal issues. The company argued that the injunction should not apply to millions of developers because Epic is the sole plaintiff and this case is not a class action lawsuit. Apple also argued that they should not be found in contempt for violating the "spirit" of the injunction as the injunction did not explicitly prohibit the behavior in question. Apple denied any wrongdoing and stated that they are complying with the court's orders.