Apple referred for possible criminal contempt investigation

The tech giant had been ordered in 2021 to allow greater competition and open the App Store up to outside payment options.

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The injunction was supposed to block Apple from anti-competitive conduct and pricing, opening the App Store up to outside payment options.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said she was referring the matter to the US Attorney for Northern District of California to investigate whether a criminal contempt proceeding is appropriate.

In response, an Apple spokesperson said: "We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court's order and we will appeal."

Wednesday's judgement refers to a 2021 case brought by Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, one of the world's most popular games, which argued that third-party payment options should be available to customers.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62xv43xqq5o

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