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• The district court ruled in favor of Apple, delaying a judge's order to make changes to the way app developers accept payments in Apple's App Store
• Apple shares were up 1.8% in late trading
Apple won a last-minute legal battle on Wednesday after a US District Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit agreed to delay a judge's order to make changes to the way app developers accept payments in Apple's App Store.
In September, a U.S. judge ordered Apple to change its App Store rules, which ban developers from including links in buttons to outside payment systems rather than using Apple's in-app payments that charge a commission on sales. The ruling was set to go into effect at 12:01 AM PT on Thursday.
The appeals court order means Apple will not have to make the chato its payment system while the lengthy appeal of the Epic Games decision goes on.
Apple and Epic Games are locked in a legal battle over the latter's right to use a third-party payment system for in-app purchases by Fortnite users. A court order in September declared partial victory for both parties. Epic Games can use Apple's third-party payment system while Apple gets a 30% commission.
On Wednesday, the lower court did not find that Apple violated any antitrust laws but said the company broke California's unfair competition law by not allowing developers to tell consumers about alternative ways to pay for software.
"Apple has demonstrated, at minimum, that its appeal raises serious questions on the merits of the district court’s determination," the 9th Circuit Court wrote on Wednesday.
Apple shares were up 1.8% in late trading, though most of the rise took place before the court issued its order.
Picture Credits: Reuters
Inputs from Reuters