Epic Games, Apple Antitrust Trial Commences

“Fortnite” maker Epic Games and Apple kicked off their three-week trial Monday, April 3, in a case that could have far reaching implications for the iPhone maker’s business model and US antitrust law, reported The Washington Post.

In opening statements in a federal courthouse in Oakland, California, Epic painted Apple as a monopolist that concocted a plan to lure software developers and customers into iOS.

According to The Washington Post, Apple painted Epic as an opportunist looking to cut costs with a court case that could damage iOS and endanger consumers by forcing allowing harmful apps onto their phones.

While both sides trade blows, US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who will decide the case, must analyze whether iOS falls into the strict legal definition of a monopoly, and then whether Apple’s business practices amount to an abuse of monopoly power, as Epic alleges.

Apple argues that allowing apps on its devices that are not subject to its restrictions would compromise the security and privacy of its ecosystem. Additionally, it argues that it is competing in a massive video game market of which it is only a small part, therefore it has no monopoly and cannot abuse such a position.