According to a new GamesBeat report, Epic Games has filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court asking it to preserve a contempt ruling against Apple over restrictions imposed on external purchases.

The dispute centers on the 27% commission Apple introduced for purchases completed on the web within seven days of a user following a link from an iOS app. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney has described the charge as a “junk fee,” while the company’s legal filing argues that Apple deliberately made alternative payment systems economically unviable for developers.

Apple normally collects as much as 30% through its in-app purchasing system. According to Epic, developers using a web payment provider would still owe Apple 27% while separately paying more than 3% in payment-processing costs. The combined expense could consequently exceed Apple’s standard commission.

“As a result, developers actually would lose money by directing consumers to external payment systems,” Epic’s filing states. It also cites an Apple executive who acknowledged that linked-out transactions would be more expensive for developers than purchases processed through Apple at 30%.

Epic claims that Apple “reverse engineered” the rate to discourage developers from offering alternative payment options. The commission was accompanied by requirements governing the design and placement of external links, restrictions on dynamic URLs, approved language, and a full-page warning shown before users could leave an app.

The legal battle began after Epic bypassed Apple’s payment system inside Fortnite in 2020. Apple removed the game from the App Store, prompting Epic to sue. Although Epic lost most of its antitrust claims, courts determined that Apple could not prevent developers from informing customers about other purchasing methods.

Apple responded by allowing certain external links while introducing the 27% commission and additional design restrictions. In April 2025, District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers found Apple in willful violation of the earlier injunction and prohibited it from collecting commissions on off-app purchases. The decision gave U.S. developers considerably more freedom to promote and operate their own web stores.

The ruling subsequently helped clear the way for Fortnite to return to the U.S. App Store after an absence of nearly five years.

An appeals court upheld the contempt finding but ruled that banning every possible external-purchase fee was too broad. Apple may eventually be permitted to collect a limited amount covering costs genuinely necessary to support external links, but it cannot currently charge a commission until the district court approves an appropriate fee

Apple argues that it should not have been held in contempt because the original injunction never expressly prohibited commissions. Epic counters that this interpretation would let companies circumvent court orders by replacing prohibited practices with new restrictions that produce the same result.

The Supreme Court is therefore considering the legal standard for contempt rather than directly deciding whether 27% is a reasonable fee. Oral arguments are scheduled for January 11, 2027. 

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