A report by The Information says that Apple has the edge in its legal battle with Epic Games. In 11 days, Epic Games will square off against Apple in an Oakland, Calif., courtroom in a trial over whether the iPhone maker violated U.S. antitrust law by forcing the videogame app developer to pay certain fees.
A win by Epic would reshape the world’s most valuable company and carve a path for competitors and governments to challenge the dominance of the world’s digital gatekeepers. However, The Information says that Apple has the advantage.
“Despite documents and testimony that appear to undermine some of Apple’s defenses, Epic faces long odds because U.S. courts have often ruled against the kind of legal arguments it is making,” the article adds. “And U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who will rule on the case following the three-week, juryless trial, has spent years overseeing various antitrust cases against Apple and its App Store and has sometimes appeared skeptical of allegations.”
On Aug. 13,2020, Epic Games announced that it had introduced a new direct payment option in the Fortnite app for iPhone and iPad, allowing players to purchase 1000 V-Bucks for US$7.99 rather than $9.99 through Apple’s in-app purchase mechanism. Shortly thereafter, Apple removed the gamer from the App Store for violating store polices and followed up by shutting down the company’s developer account.
Epic immediately filed a lawsuit against Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
In September 2020 Apple filed a countersuit to stop the game maker from using its own payment system for Fortnite. Apple also accused Epic of theft and sought extra monetary damages beyond breach of contract.
