There’s no place like the courtroom to settle a dispute.
Apple’s court case with Epic Games began yesterday. The case, which could have wide-reaching consequences, is being overseen by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers and will decide whether Apple has to let Fortnite back into the App Store and make Epic’s own payment option available. Furthermore, she will provide a ruling on whether Apple is able to block third-party apps that use Epic’s Unreal Engine development software.
Judge Rogers ultimately has to decide whether Epic’s antitrust claims are likely to succeed, and whether the company will suffer irreparable harm without an injunction.
“Epic faces an uphill battle,” said Mark Lemley, a professor at Stanford Law School. “Apple’s pricing policies are problematic, and antitrust law should probably do something about it. But courts are very reluctant to dictate who a company, even a monopolist, has to do business with.”
The dispute at the heart of the case stems from the way Apple accepts fees for in-app purchases on its App Store. A ruling on this case could affect other online marketplaces, such as the way Google claims similar fees through its Play Store.
Story tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via The Mac Observer and Bloomberg News