Thus, Apple is forced to change its iOS app policies and allow developers to link to other stores within their applications.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has denied Apple’s request for a stay of the injunction ordering it to let app developers link to non-Apple payment options. Thus, the company with the apple logo has no less than 90 days from the verdict to comply. Apple has lost just one point in the trial against Epic Games, but it might hurt them financially the most (but both parties have applied for round two in court…).

Apple was found to violate California’s Unfair Competition Law. A permanent injunction declared that “Apple Inc. […] are hereby permanently restrained and enjoined from prohibiting developers from (i) including in their apps and their metadata buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms, in addition to In-App Purchasing and (ii) communicating with customers through points of contact, obtained voluntarily from customers through account registration within the app.”

“It’s going to take months to figure out the engineering, economic, business, and other issues. It isn’t straightforward. There have to be guardrails and guidelines to protect children, protect developers, protect consumers, and protect Apple. And they have to be written into guidelines that can be explained and enforced and applied,” said Apple’s attorney Mark Perry when requesting a stay on order. However, Epic Games‘ attorney, Gary Bornstein, didn’t take it lightly, claiming it to be a delaying tactic, saying, “Apple does nothing unless it is forced to do it.”

Judge Rogers seems to have agreed with Bornstein, as she said, “You haven’t asked for additional time. You’ve asked for an injunction which would effectively take years. You asked for an across-the-board stay which could take three, four, five years.” As the ruling was issued in September, Apple has until December 9 to comply. The clock is ticking for them.

Source: PCGamer