Apple has filed a new response with the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that Epic Games’ latest opposition filing actually strengthens the case for a review of the long-running legal dispute between the two companies. The filing comes after Epic asked the Supreme Court to reject Apple’s appeal and leave lower court rulings in place.
Apple’s response focuses on two key arguments raised by Epic. First, Apple claims Epic is misrepresenting the scope of the anti-steering injunction that emerged from the original lawsuit. According to Apple, the court order only addressed specific anti-steering restrictions and did not directly regulate App Store commission policies, making Epic’s interpretation inaccurate.
Apple also challenged Epic’s reliance on the 2025 Supreme Court decision in Trump v. CASA, Inc. Apple argues that the ruling specifically stated it does not apply to antitrust cases, which makes Epic’s argument irrelevant to the current dispute.
The legal battle began in 2020 when Epic intentionally bypassed Apple’s App Store payment system, leading to a lawsuit that reshaped App Store policies. While Apple won most parts of the case in 2021, the company lost on anti-steering rules, forcing it to allow developers to direct users to external payment options.
The dispute intensified in 2025 when Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Apple had violated the injunction and prohibited the company from collecting commissions on purchases made through external links. Apple later removed those fees and appealed the decision.
In December 2025, the Ninth Circuit upheld the finding that Apple violated the injunction but returned the commission issue to the district court for further review. Apple then petitioned the Supreme Court in May 2026, questioning both the contempt ruling and the nationwide scope of the injunction.
The Supreme Court could decide whether to hear Apple’s appeal as early as June, although any final ruling would likely take several more months.
