Epic Games v. Apple Trial Wraps Up, But We Likely Won't Know the Outcome for Months

The three week Epic Games v. Apple trial wrapped up today, with a series of debates that were held in lieu of traditional closing arguments. The wrap up follows Apple CEO Tim Cook's testimony last week, which saw him grilled by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers on Apple's App Store policies.

fortnite apple featured
As outlined by Protocol, at the conclusion of the trial, Rogers aimed to get at the heart of the dispute and determine what remedies might ultimately be appropriate.

As she did earlier in the trial, Rogers hinted that she may be leaning toward something of a compromise with a ruling that would see Apple required to allow apps like Fortnite to direct users to make purchases on the web rather than in apps, something that's currently forbidden by the ‌App Store‌ rules.

In this scenario, Apple would be required to relax its "anti-steering" restrictions, but the rest of the iOS ecosystem would remain untouched and would function as normal. Apple's lawyers attempted to say that Apple's anti-steering rules are meant to improve transaction efficiency, but Cook's testimony undermined that argument. "Cook conceded that it's a method of being compensated for intellectual property," Rogers said.

Epic's lawyers argued that iOS should be opened up to competing app stores. Apple could still offer the security and privacy of the current ‌App Store‌, but with third-party app stores, customers would have a choice. Epic's closing argument pointed toward the Mac as an example of what iOS should look like.

Apple's lawyers argued that consumer choice already exists because people can choose Android, and that the changes that ‌Epic Games‌ wants implemented would ruin the iPhone by making it less secure with apps that are impossible to curate or moderate. Epic wants Apple to "drop its gloves and stand in the middle of the arena and take what comes without any meaningful defense," Apple's lawyer said.

Rogers was not particularly convinced by Epic's argument because it would result in such a drastic change to the ‌App Store‌. ‌Epic Games‌ could not demonstrate similar antitrust cases where the extreme kind of outcome it is asking for had been granted by a court.

At the conclusion of the trial, Judge Rogers said that she expects that her verdict will take quite some time, but she did not provide a concrete date. It could be several weeks before we hear about the ‌Epic Games‌ v. Apple trial again, and it's quite likely that any decision will be appealed, so this is a lawsuit that could carry on for months to come.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
Facebook Feature

Facebook's New iPhone App Feature Turns the Clock Back to 2007

Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out. That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook. Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

iPhone Foldable Display Said to Feature iPad-Style 4:3 Aspect Ratio

Friday March 28, 2025 3:44 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming "iPhone Fold" will feature a foldable screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio, according to a Chinese leaker who previously leaked the book-style device's display dimensions. The Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station claims that Apple will adopt a "roughly" 4:3 aspect ratio on the inner display in order to achieve consistency between the outer display, as well as to ensure parity...

Top Rated Comments

cmaier Avatar
50 months ago

This judge seems to be technologically impaired. You cannot force Apple to allow 3rd party payments!
She today asked Epic’s attorney the key question - customers buy into the Apple ecosystem, knowing what that means. Doesn’t forcing them to behave like Android actually *eliminate* customer choice?

Epic’s attorney didn’t have much of an answer to that.
Score: 54 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
50 months ago

The technologically inept judge does Apple no favours.

I’m sure both sides have appeals drafted and ready to file.
She doesn’t appear to be technologically inept. I listened to most of the trial, and have watched her in a bunch of other hearings and patent matters, and she asks reasonable questions and seems to get the issues.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
50 months ago
Years, not months. Whoever loses will appeal. It will take a long time for final resolution.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
InGen Avatar
50 months ago

Fingers crossed we see a big loss for Apple soon. ?
You’re in the wrong neighbourhood boyo
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
countryside Avatar
50 months ago
This judge seems to be technologically impaired. You cannot force Apple to allow 3rd party payments!

My family business rents office space from 1 of 2 strip centers in our town. I agreed to the terms. I lease the space. We give them a percentage of our profits. If I do not want to give them a commission, I will LEAVE. BUT, they are in a GOOD LOCATION. They bring CUSTOMERS TO US!
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
diddl14 Avatar
50 months ago
so finally we can say goodbye for a while to these epic avatars..
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)