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A California judge suggested the case be handled by a jury, but has yet to budge on her previous ruling that Apple is within its rights to ban Fortnite from the App Store.

Alissa McAloon, Publisher

September 28, 2020

1 Min Read

A hearing today meant to revisit whether Apple’s decision to ban Fortnite from the App Store should be upheld dove into other areas of interest for the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Fortnite dev Epic Games.

According to CNET, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has yet to budge on her earlier decision that Apple is well within its rights to ban Fortnite from the App Store, but adds that she’ll be reaching out to both parties with written comments down the line.

During the hearing, Rogers remained of the mind that Epic’s handling of the whole situation with Apple, which saw it add a unapproved payment method in Fortnite without Apple’s go-ahead, has thus far been dishonest. She went as far to suggest that Apple allow Fortnite back on the store if Epic agreed to keep any iOS Fortnite earnings held in an escrow account until the matter is settled, but Epic had no interest in the offer.

Rogers estimates the case as a whole will be heard in July 2021, and also added the suggestion that the anti-trust matter itself be put before a jury rather than heard and decided only by a judge.

“I think it is important enough to understand what real people think,” said Rogers. “Do these security issues concern people or not?"

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