The legal battle that has been dragging on since 2020 between Apple and the developer of the game Fortnite has yet to reach a definitive resolution. But it appears Apple intends to go to the Supreme Court to conclude the legal proceedings.

It all started when Epic developed an alternative payment system for Fortnite, bypassing Apple's App Store payment system. This move angered Apple, prompting it to remove the game from the store and block Epic's development tools from iOS developers.

These clashes, which erupted in 2020, led both parties to appeal to the local court, where Epic is challenging Apple's mandatory 30% discount on any in-game purchase made in Fortnite. Last April, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a 2021 ruling broadly rejecting Epic's claims that Apple violated federal law by not allowing a competing market for its iOS app.

However, the court at the time issued a ruling not to force Apple developers and app publishers on the App Store to not place links or buttons that could transfer the user to an external payment method away from the digital store, in order to avoid the tax charged by Apple.

Last week, the Ninth Circuit denied motions filed by Apple and Epic asking the court to reconsider its April ruling. According to Reuters, Apple's lawyers said the court overreached its initial ruling.

A district court issued a sweeping injunction prohibiting Apple from enforcing its anti-directive rules against all developers of iOS apps offered for release in the United States. Even though plaintiff Epic didn't request it,

It's worth noting that, to this day, Apple is still preventing iOS users from downloading Fortnite due to this dispute with the developer. Apple has blocked owners of the game from receiving new updates on their devices since 2020, until a firm court ruling is issued regarding the dispute between the two parties.