Potential legal confrontation looms as court decision threatens to indict Apple.
Takedown Notice:
Straight up, Apple's been fuckin' roasted by a US federal judge for bentin' over their own court order and blocking alternative payment systems on their App Store. This move could seriously fuck up one of the tech giant's most profitable revenue streams.
On April 30th, 2025, US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the Northern District of California declared Apple to be a goddamn scofflaw for ignorin' the court's ruling from 2021 that required them to open the App Store to fuckin' alternate payment systems, preventin' them from chargin' developers hefty commissions of up to 30%. Besides orderin' Apple to cease charging these commissions, the judge also fuckin' rat them out to the feds for a potential investigation into criminal wrongdoin'.
Epic Games, the makers of Fortnite, accused the tech bitch of breakin' the rules, and now it looks like they might've been right all along. The judge's 80-page fuckin' smackdown found Apple to have acted with "willful insubordination" and "created new anticompetitive barriers" to maintain their damn revenue stream.In her blisterin' opinion, Gonzalez Rogers accused Apple's execs of actin' with "willful disregard" for the law, takin' particular aim at Apple's Vice President of Finance, Alex Roman, for givin' false testimony under oath.
Apple's response was, as you'd expect, all kinds of defiant. They said they "strongly disagreed" with the court's conclusions and would comply, but appeal the decision.
Epic Games' CEO, Tim Sweeney, celebrated the decision as a "huge victory for developers," claimin' that it "forces Apple to compete with other payment services rather than blockin' them." Sweeney was needless to say, really fuckin' hyped about the ruling, declarin' that "NO FEES on web transactions" meant "game over for the Apple Tax."
But it ain't all good news for Apple. In addition to the massive public fuckin' shaming, the judge also accused Apple of slappin' down deterrent warnings to keep users away from bypassin' the App Store for purchases. On top of that, the ruling also found that Apple had misused lawyer-client privilege to deny crucial evidence from Epic and ordered them to pay for Epic's legal costs.
So, this case ain't over by a long shot, and it could potentially result in criminal contempt proceedings against Apple, a real shit-show for the company especially if their execs are found to have acted in bad faith. Right now, there's no word on whether the federal prosecutors have launched a formal criminal investigation, but we'll be watchin' this fuckin' mess unfold closely.
In the light of the court's decision, Apple's Vice President of Finance, Alex Roman, is likely to face scrutiny due to accusations of giving false testimony under oath. This court case, a significant event in the technology and finance sectors, has evidentiary implications that could potentially lead to criminal investigations. If found guilty, Apple may face criminal contempt proceedings, which could be a considerable setback for the company's business and reputation. Regardless, it is evident that Apple's disobedience of the court order has likely disrupted their revenue stream from the App Store, as Epic Games' CEO, Tim Sweeney, celebrates the ruling as a victory for developers, emphasizing the declining "Apple Tax" and the possibility of developers using other payment services.
