Epic and Apple are going head to head in the courts sooner than expected. Both tech companies will go to trial in May next year, earlier than the July projections.
Both Epic and Apple have their ongoing court drama underway. So far, both companies agreed on going for a bench trial instead of a jury. Now, both companies decided to have their trial date starting on May 3.
Even before the actual trial date, they will have several pre-trial proceedings. The date is earlier than expected, with projections set to dates as far as July 2021.
CMC for bench trial will start on October 19
The ongoing court filing between Epic Games vs. Apple is running through ebb and flow. So far, there’s no clear cut winner from both sides, with neither party showing their hands. At the moment, it seems Apple has a very slight lead against Epic Games.
In a document filed on October 6, the trial between the two will start on May 3, 2021. There will be a ton of action, however before the trial even begins on its way. These will include an upcoming case management conference on October 19.
A case management conference is a type of pre-trial hearing. It works as a meeting between the judge and both parties that will discuss potential settlements for either. If the CMC does not create ways for both parties to settle, a trial will then start.
A pre-trial conference will also happen on April 21 next year. Even then, the trials are not putting one company over the other. Both companies seem to be in an eternal stalemate right now.
Epic vs Apple trial is in a perpetual stalemate
In the recent comments from Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, she is not impressed with Epic’s shenanigans. Rogers called Epic “not honest” when they released a Fortnite update that broke Apple’s TOS.
“You did something, you lied about it by omission, by not being forthcoming. That’s the security issue. That’s the security issue!” Rogers noted.
“There are a lot of people in the public who consider you guys heroes for what you guys did, but it’s still not honest.”
There is also a congressional investigation against the current tech giants. Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook are facing potential “anti-competitive, monopoly-style tactics.” The results that will come from this will be a useful weapon for Epic.
The trial between Epic and Apple is becoming bitter and bitter too. Epic is gaining more friends in the industry, with Spotify and other devs pulling stops to help. Microsoft is also acknowledging the position of the game studio in the trials.
So far, the court battle between Epic and Apple will be a decisive one. Whatever comes out during the trials starting in May can change the landscape of the gaming industry.
Featured image courtesy of Epic Games/Official Press Release