Judge in Apple v. Epic Games Case Wants In-Person Trial Starting on May 3

Lawyers for Epic Games and Apple today participated in a management conference with Judge Yvonne Gonzalez to hammer out the details of an upcoming bench trial, which is now confirmed to take place on May 3.

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Judge Gonzalez is planning to hold an in-person trial that will require all witnesses to travel to Northern California to answer questions before the court and the judge. She believes that the case is significant enough that the court should hear it in person, with witnesses in the case less likely to lie when sworn in in a physical courtroom.

Health considerations will be taken into account for witnesses that aren't able to travel to California, but the court will look into people who say they can't visit the court in person.

The judge said that the people involved and the companies involved have the available resources to quarantine for two weeks after the trial. The court plans to put measures in place to keep participants safe, including a limited number of people in the courtroom. Witnesses will be positioned far from the attorneys in the case, with distance between parties, and enough space will be given that witnesses can speak clearly without masks.

Based on the COVID numbers in May, the in-person trial could be set aside, but the case will go forward in May no matter what, even if it is held entirely over Zoom. The judge is pushing for a two to three week trial, while ‌Epic Games‌ wants it to last four to five weeks, with the exact length to be determined later when all of the case details are ironed out.

The Epic vs. Apple trial will delve into Epic's accusation that Apple is a "behemoth seeking to control markets, block competition, and stifle innovation" by imposing "anti-competitive restraints" against App Store developers and employing "monopolistic practices in markets."

‌Epic Games‌ will argue that the 30 percent cut that Apple takes from apps is "oppressive" as is the rule that requires developers to use in-app purchases. Apple lowered the 30 percent fee to 15 percent for developers earning under $1 million, but that does not apply to ‌Epic Games‌.

Apple will attempt to prove that its ‌App Store‌ prices are fair and in line with other competitors in the market, and that its ‌App Store‌ policies offer important protections for consumers.

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Top Rated Comments

filmantopia Avatar
55 months ago
So no cat lawyers then :(
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
55 months ago
what a stupid trial.

just epic being greedy. app store has always been fair.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
55 months ago

We all win if Epic beat Apple on this one.
No we don’t. I don’t want more attack vectors on my devices.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cgaw23 Avatar
55 months ago
I could be wrong but I thought I had read somewhere that Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo also ask for 30 percent for similar transactions. If so why is this even an issue.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Maconplasma Avatar
55 months ago

All I want from this is a switch in iOS that allows me to install apps from sources other than the app store at my own risk. This shouldn't be too much of a problem. The ‘geniuses’ in the Apple Stores are already well-versed in blaming OS malfunctions and battery drain on third party apps. Surely they can extend their diagnoses to apps that come from outside sources...
The problem is that IS too much of a problem. If Apple allows this then there will be a crapstorm of people complaining that their iPhone isn't working properly and try and blame Apple when it's really the 3rd party unsupported application that is causing the issue. And without a doubt (especially from this forum ?) not a single customer will accept any blame or responsibility and expect Apple to give them a new phone, and if Apple does not these same people will come shouting on social media that Apple screwed them over......when it was really the customer's fault in the first place.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
55 months ago

Not sure why Apple wanted to delay this, but I say the sooner this dramedy is over with and they can move on the better.
They needed more time to get and review evidence. This is a very fast timeline for a federal case.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)