Apple Inc. is confronting a new class-action lawsuit initiated by app developers who allege that the company deliberately defied a U.S. federal court order by continuing to impose excessive commissions on external purchases. This action is claimed to be in violation of a 2021 injunction intended to reform Apple’s App Store policies.
The lawsuit, filed by Pure Sweat Basketball in a California federal court, seeks compensation on behalf of up to 100,000 developers who purportedly suffered financial losses due to Apple’s noncompliance. The developers argue that Apple’s actions have resulted in damages amounting to hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars.
Background of the Legal Dispute
This legal action follows an April 30, 2025, ruling by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who found Apple in willful contempt for failing to adhere to her previous order in the high-profile case brought by Epic Games. The 2021 injunction required Apple to permit app developers greater freedom to direct users toward payment methods outside of the App Store. Instead, Apple introduced a new 27% fee on such transactions, a move the court determined undermined the spirit of the ruling.
Allegations of Limited Compliance and Obstruction
Pure Sweat Basketball contends that Apple’s conduct was a calculated effort to maintain the status quo, preserving its dominant position and substantial revenue stream from in-app purchases while offering only superficial compliance with the court’s directive. The developers claim that Apple restricted them to a single external link and employed warning messages to deter users from completing purchases outside the App Store.
The lawsuit also highlights instances where Apple allegedly blocked Pure Sweat from launching an educational app that included external purchase links. According to the developers, these actions compelled them to pay steep commissions and limited customer choice, thereby harming both competition and innovation within the app marketplace.
Legal Representation and Objectives
The legal filing is led by attorneys Steve Berman of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro and Eamon Kelly of Sperling Kenny Nachwalter. The lawsuit aims to hold Apple financially accountable for violating the court’s order and seeks restitution for all U.S. developers who offered paid in-app content between January 17, 2024—when the injunction took effect—and the date Apple fully complies with the court’s directives.
Broader Implications for Apple’s App Store Policies
The lawsuit underscores the broader implications of Apple’s App Store policies and their impact on the developer community. Notably, only 34 out of 136,000 developers adopted Apple’s permitted external payment link under the new policy, suggesting that Apple’s compliance efforts were either ineffective or intentionally obstructive.
In response to the court’s findings, Judge Gonzalez Rogers has referred Apple and one of its executives to federal prosecutors for possible criminal contempt. This development adds to the mounting scrutiny Apple faces over its App Store policies from both private developers and government agencies.
Apple has denied any wrongdoing and has filed an appeal against the court’s ruling. The outcome of this legal battle could have significant ramifications for the company’s App Store practices and its relationships with the developer community.
