This ruling reshapes how digital businesses operate and users engage with them, marking a broader shift toward open, direct-to-consumer ecosystems.

By Mike Scarcella (Reuters) -Apple on Wednesday failed to persuade a U.S. appeals court to pause key parts of a federal judge's order requiring the iPhone maker to immediately open its lucrative App Store to more competition.

A three-judge appeals panel rejected Apple’s request to pause an April 30 order banning the company from charging a fee on in-app iPhone transactions processed outside its once-exclusive payment system in a two-page decision issued late Thursday.