The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled mostly in favor of Epic Games in its case against Apple (AAPL), thought the San Francisco-based court did provide the iPhone maker with some relief.
The ruling by the three-judge panel said that the decision by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers overstepped. There needs to be a narrowing of the ruling against Apple charging commissions made outside the App Store via links provided by developers, the panel said. Still, the appeals court left the contempt finding against Apple from the lower court and did not dismiss an injunction won by Epic Games previously. It also largely left the order intact that requires Apple to let developers direct users to outside payment options.
Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple could take further legal action and appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Apple shares were fractionally lower in late afternoon trading on Thursday.
