Judge said Epic Was Not Honest When it Bypassed Apple’s Payment System in Fortnite

The legal dispute between Epic Games and Apple went one step further yesterday, with Epic’s request for injunctive relief against Apple’s decision to remove Fortnite from the iOS App Store. No decision has been made on the claim, but for Epic the situation does not look good. As reported by CNN, judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers criticized Epic’s actions that led to the case. He said “dishonest” when it released the Fortnite update that allowed users to bypass Apple’s payment system.

The judge seemed to suggest that Epic’s actions really helped Apple defend its App Store policies as a way of protecting users from malware. The judge said, “You did something, you lied negligently about it. That is the security issue. There are many people in public who see you as a hero for what you are doing, but still not honest.

Judge Gonzalez Rogers said he did not view in-app payments as a “separate and distinct product” and would exempt the system from antitrust regulation if this view was valid in the final decision. He also dismissed Epic’s argument that the removal of Fortnite from the App Store was hurting its, because there are many other ways for iOS players to get the game.

The judge said, “Walled gardens have existed for decades. Nintendo had a walled garden. Sony had a walled garden. Microsoft had a walled garden. What Apple did is not that different. Ignore the industry’s economy is very difficult, and you want me to do this. “

CNN reporter Brian Fung commented on the progress of the trial.

The judge said he preferred that the case be tried before a jury, and warned that the case will not be tried until July 2021 because of his schedule.