Judge limits number of folks who can attend Apple vs. Epic Games trial

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers — who presides over a courtroom in Oakland, California — placed limited on the number of folks allowed to physically attend the Apple vs. Epic Games lawsuit hearing, reports Law360 (a subscription is required to read the entire article). 

She also rules that all attendees must wear a mask whether or not they’ve received a COVID vaccine. The trial is slated to start May 3. 

This is all part of an ongoing legal battle between Apple and Epic. 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.