Court finds Apple, executive lied under oath, seeks criminal probe

A federal judge found that Apple willfully violated a 2021 injunction stemming from the Epic Games case by introducing a 27% commission on purchases made outside the App Store, despite being ordered to allow third-party payment links without such restrictions. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers stated that Apple's Vice President of Finance, Alex Roman, lied under oath about when Apple decided on the 27% fee, with internal documents showing it was planned months earlier than testified. The judge accused Apple of creating new anticompetitive barriers and presenting misleading evidence that was 'tailor-made for litigation,' instead of revealing the company's actual internal discussions. As a result, she has referred the case to U.S. attorneys for possible criminal contempt proceedings against both Roman and Apple. The judge emphasized that Apple's actions were meant to maintain its lucrative revenue stream in defiance of the court's order, holding the company in contempt and ordering it to stop imposing such commissions immediately.