Apple violated injunction in antitrust case, judge finds

A federal judge has strongly reprimanded Apple, it discovered that the iPhone maker deliberately violated the court order in a disbelief case “Fortnite“Maker Epic Games.

The US District Judge Yovon Gonzalez Rogers applied Apple to reduce its previous exclusive payment system for digital transactions and allow developers to display links to alternative alternatives. On Wednesday, he found that Apple had violated a 2021 order that he wrote, “tried to restrict and ban the anti -iPhone maker” and tried to determine the price.

“The continued effort to interfere in Apple’s competition will not be tolerated,” Gonzalez Rogers wrote in Wednesday’s judgment, which put Apple in disobedience.

He ordered that “Apple does not hinder the power developers with users or they will not impose new commissions on the purchase of off-app.”

In a statement to CBS News on Wednesday night, an Apple spokesman said: “We are not strongly agreed with the decision. We will obey the court order and we will apply.”

Epic first filed an incredible case in 2021, alleged that Apple had created an illegal exclusive monopoly around its popular App Store, which produces a billions of dollars annually from the then-X -clusive payment system, collecting commissions from 15% to 30% on app trade.

Although Gonzalez Rogers rejected the exclusive claim, he instructed Apple to reduce the previous exclusive payment system for apple digital transactions and allow developers to display links with alternative options. The Supreme Court rejected Apple’s appeal in January 2021.

“In contrast to Apple’s primary court testimony, contemporary business documents reveal that Apple knew exactly what he was doing and chose the most anti -alternative at each time,” the judge wrote on Wednesday. He accused Apple’s vice-president Finance Alex Roman be “directly” under the oath.

“Internally, (long -time Apple Executive) Philip Shillor suggested that Apple agreed with the prohibition, however (CEO) ignored Tim Cook Schiller and instead allowed Chief Financial Officer Luca Mythry and his finance team to explain him otherwise.

The judge mentioned to the US attorney for the northern district of California to investigate whether the criminal disregarding activities are suitable.

The judiciary has filed A broad disbeliever suit Last year against Apple, alleging that the technology giant is involved in multiple attempts to suppress the competition.