SAN FRANCISCO: Epic Games said Friday it will appeal a US judge's ruling that loosened Apple's control over app store payments, but did not brand the tech giant's dominance as a monopoly.

Apple was non-committal about whether it would appeal but Epic's CEO Tim Sweeney tweeted "We will fight on", and the company confirmed plans to contest the verdict. Apple said it is studying the 185-page ruling by US District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers, but was "very happy" with the decision.

Epic launched the case aiming to break Apple's grip on the App Store, accusing the iPhone maker of acting like a monopoly in its shop for digital goods or services. The judge ordered Apple to loosen control of its App Store, but said Epic failed to prove any antitrust violations.

"For me, it is a win for Apple in that the judge clearly said they are not engaging in monopolistic behavior," said Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi.

"I don't think it is a problem for Apple from a revenue perspective."

Friday's order says Apple is permanently barred from prohibiting developers from including in their apps "external links or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms." Apple can still mandate that its payment systems is used for in-app transactions.