Epic Games, Inc.

Creator of Fortnite and Unreal Engine, challenging App Store commission structure. - Won contempt rulings forcing Apple to modify App Store payment restrictions

Apple controls what apps you can install, what features they can offer, and how much they cost. On January 8, 2026, the Ninth Circuit ruled that's perfectly legal—at least when it comes to shutting out a competitor's heart monitoring app. The decision caps a five-year battle with medical device maker AliveCor, which claimed Apple killed its SmartRhythm app by changing the Apple Watch heart rate algorithm in 2018. Judge Michelle Friedland held that Apple had no obligation to share its technology with rivals, invoking the rarely-successful refusal-to-deal defense. The same day, India doubled down on its right to impose antitrust penalties based on Apple's $380 billion global revenue—not just its Indian earnings—putting the company at risk of a $38 billion fine.

Updated Jan 8

Epic uses Fortnite as a battering ram against platform gatekeeping and app store commissions. - Pushing courts to enforce anti-steering order against Apple’s fee-and-friction tactics

This case keeps producing the same kind of drama: a judge orders Apple to loosen its grip, Apple complies in a way that still protects the money, and Epic comes back yelling “that’s not compliance.” On December 11, 2025, the Ninth Circuit mostly backed the trial judge’s contempt finding that Apple played games with the anti-steering injunction—but clipped parts of the punishment.

Updated Dec 12, 2025