Judge Yvonne Gonzalez met with attorneys from Apple and Epic Games to arrange the details of a trial to decide whether Apple’s App Store practices are monopolistic and competitive, as MacRumors reports. The judge said the case is significant enough to be heard in person, with witnesses apparently less likely to lie when testifying in a physical court.
The trial could be changed to a virtual one taking place over Zoom if the COVID-19 numbers are high during the trial, but it will start on May 3, no matter what happens. If current plans continue, Witnesses will have to travel to Northern California to testify unless they have valid health reasons not to travel. The trial will be held as a bank trial, meaning there will be no jury.
Epic’s lawsuit against Apple claims that the technology giant is a ‘contem that wants to control markets, hinder competition and stifle innovation’, saying that Apple’s practices are competitive and monopolistic. Epic’s main beef at Apple is more than the 30% savings due to App Store payments, as well as the rules that may prohibit apps in the App Store from processing microtransactions outside of Apple’s payment system.
Apple has since reduced its fee to 15% for developers earning less than $ 1 million a year, which does not apply to Epic Games. Fortnite is still not available for download or new updates on iOS, while Android players can only download the game through third-party stores like the Samsung Galaxy Store.
The trial is set to begin on May 3, with Judge Yvonne Gonzalez hoping for a two- to three-week trial, while Epic wants it to last about four to five weeks.