How Apple created a legal mess when it skirted a judge’s ruling

Several weeks after a federal appeals court said Apple would have to loosen its grip on its App Store, Tim Cook, the company’s chief executive, and his top lieutenants debated what to do. For more than a decade, Apple had required apps to use the App Store payment system and collected a 30% commission on app sales. Now, in 2023, the courts were ordering it to allow apps to avoid Apple’s payments and go directly to online consumers. Cook wanted to know: Could Apple still charge a commission on those sales without violating a court order?

Phil…