During the preliminary hearing, the judge criticized Epic claiming its tactics were not honest and that the two companies should consider a jury trial.

Yesterday, the preliminary hearing of the legal battle between Apple and Epic Games was held, during which the removal of Fortnite from the App Store was discussed.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California criticized Epic’s tactics, claiming they were “not honest”.

During the hearing, “Epic Games” went on to argue that Apple has a monopoly on the “App Store” and charges excessive fees, but the judge pointed out that the 30% commission the company collects is the “industry rate” collected by. PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Google and many more.

In response, Epic said the consoles are “different” because the hardware is being sold at a loss, but the judge was not convinced by this claim.

The North Carolina-based game developer said it wants to set up its own store to distribute apps on iOS , but Apple’s anti-competitive behavior bans it. In response, the Cupertino giant’s lawyers said the request was an indictment against “Apple’s entire business model” focused on the “safety, security and privacy of its users.”

The first deadline for filing documentation and other data for the trial is January 6, 2021, while the trial itself will take place in July 2021.

Finally, Judge Gonzalez Rogers suggested Apple and Epic Games consider a jury trial , which would ensure the final judgment is better able to withstand a future appeal. Although a case like this might be handled by one or more judges, Rogers suggests that a popular jury might be appropriate.

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