Apple might not have to change its App Store policy for years

A month after a U.S. court barred Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) from restricting developers to its own ecosystem for payments and communication with customers, the iPhone maker said it was taking the matter to a higher court.

Apple shares are up more than 1.0% on Monday morning.

Implications of the appeal

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In early September, Apple was ordered in the Epic Games case to let developers bill their customers directly and bypass Apple’s proprietary system to collect payments that comes with a rather hefty, up to 30% fee.

This major change in how Apple had been doing business could result in a significant hit to its App Store revenue and was scheduled to take effect on December 9^th. In its notice of appeal filed on Friday, however, the tech giant is now also seeking a delay on the injunction.

If the U.S. court approves the stay, Apple would no longer be bound to change its App Store policy, as previously ordered, until appeals are over, which could take months to even years. A verdict on the stay is likely to come next month.

Apple’s reason for appealing the ruling

In August, Apple already enabled developers to connect with their customers via email and inform them of the “non-Apple payment options” – a concession that Apple said was one of the reasons why it was appealing the ruling in the Epic Games case. In the court filing, Apple lawyers said:

The requested stay will allow Apple to protect consumers and safeguard its platform while the company works through the complex and rapidly evolving legal, technological, economic issues that any revisions to this Guideline would implicate.

The announcement comes more than a week after Loup Ventures’ Gene Munster said Apple could be a $200 stock.