Apple, Epic games heading to court on May 3, 2021 — Apple World Today

The companies have to “jointly file one proposed agenda” by October 15. Pretrial fact-finding, which includes submissions and rebuttals, kicks off on February 15.

In a September court filing, the combative companies said that, after conferring, both agree the matter should be decided by the court. Previously, Apple wanted a jury trial, but has withdrawn the request to streamline proceedings after a California judge hinted that a jury trial probably wouldn’t start until July 2021.

All this originated on Aug. 13 when  Epic Games announced that it had introduced a new direct payment option in the Fortnite app for iPhone and iPad, allowing players to purchase 1000 V-Bucks for US$7.99 rather than $9.99 through Apple’s in-app purchase mechanism. Shortly thereafter, Apple removed the gamer from the App Store.  Epic immediately filed a lawsuit against Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.