US judge slams Apple in case by Epic Games, bars App Store commissions on external payments

A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that Apple must loosen its grip on its App Store and stop collecting a commission on some app sales, capping a five-year antitrust case brought by Epic Games that aimed to change the power that Apple wields over a large slice of the digital economy.

The judge, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the US District Court for the Northern District of California, rebuked Apple for thwarting a previous ruling in the lawsuit and said the company needed to be stopped from further disobeying the court. She criticised Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, and accused other executives at the company of lying.