US judge orders Apple to stop charging commissions on non-App Store sales

Apple Inc. violated a court order requiring it to open up the App Store to third-party payment options and must stop charging commissions on purchases outside its software marketplace, a federal judge said in a blistering ruling that referred the company to prosecutors for a possible criminal probe.

US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers sided Wednesday with Fortnite maker Epic Games Inc. over its allegation that the iPhone maker failed to comply with an order she issued in 2021 after finding the company engaged in anticompetitive conduct in violation of California law.