Neither Epic Games nor Apple may get what they want as a result of court proceedings. This is indicated by the statements of Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers (Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers). But whatever decision she makes, an appeal is “almost inevitable.”
At the end of the three-week hearing on the case, the judge made two important remarks. She is skeptical about the existence of “real competition” on iOS. However, at the same time, I am not sure of the sincerity of Epic Games’ motives, since winning in court can turn developers “from a multibillion-dollar company into a multi-trillion-dollar one.”
The Bloomberg portal named four possible variants of the verdict:
- Apple’s unconditional victory: the judge will reject all claims of Epic Games. This means that the App Store will continue to work without changes, and Apple will continue to control iOS developers.;
- changes in the App Store policy: the judge will require changing the Apple license agreement so that other stores can appear on iOS. It may also oblige the company to maintain stores in order to avoid problems due to software updates. Whether this applies to all developers or only to Epic Games depends on the wording of the verdict;
- radical changes: the judge will consider the App Store a monopoly and forbid it to work in the current format. In this case, it may also oblige Apple to both support other stores on iOS and allow transactions inside applications through third-party payment systems.;
- compromise: the judge will partially limit Apple’s control over the App Store and its payment system. The company will be forced to allow developers to add links to sites in applications where users can buy in-game items at a lower price.
It is not yet known exactly when Judge Gonzalez Rogers will prepare a decision. Earlier, she noted that it will take some time due to the large volume of materials. The judge also indicated that she wanted to make a detailed record of the voiced evidence, as she was awaiting an appeal.
You can get acquainted with the key events of the trial in the case of Epic Games and Apple in this material.