The second week of the trial between Epic Games Inc. and Apple Inc. has centered on expert-witness testimony debating whether smartphones are interchangeable with other videogame platforms and the definition of a market in the digital age.
Epic sued Apple in August and accused the tech giant of violating antitrust laws after it yanked the developer’s hit videogame “Fortnite” from the App Store. Apple has defended itself by arguing that its app-marketplace policies are fair and that Epic breached a contract applicable to all developers distributing apps on its mobile devices.
The Oakland, Calif., trial, in which U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will decide the outcome, could help reshape the multibillion-dollar market for distributing apps on mobile devices.
Judge Gonzalez Rogers is used to handling tech-industry cases, and neither Apple nor Epic are newcomers to her courtroom. She says she helped her son find success as an aeronautical engineer by denying him videogames but also noted that her daughter has Nintendo Co. ’s Switch.
Here is an overview of what has happened so far and what is next:
