A trial is slated to begin Monday between the maker of the popular videogame “Fortnite” and Apple Inc. that could help determine the future of how apps generate revenue through mobile devices.
Opening statements are expected to begin about 8:30 a.m. PDT (11:30 a.m. EDT).
U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers is presiding over the planned three-week bench trial in Oakland, Calif.
Epic Games Inc. sued both Apple and Alphabet Inc.’s Google in August after the companies removed “Fortnite” from their mobile app stores. The companies say their moves were justified because Epic broke their rules by inserting its own system for processing payments made inside the game, a move that would potentially circumvent the 30% slice of revenue they collect from in-app purchases.
Epic, a closely held company valued at nearly $29 billion as of last month, has asserted that Apple charges exorbitant fees to mobile software developers and runs the App Store in a way that stifles smaller businesses and prohibits fair competition. A trial date hasn’t been set in Epic’s lawsuit against Google.
