Apple’s Tim Cook Faces Pointed Questions From Judge on App Store Competition

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Tim Cook faced tough questions from the federal judge who will decide whether the iPhone maker operates an improper monopoly, including about the competitiveness of its App Store payment system.

Mr. Cook spent about four hours Friday on the witness stand in an Oakland, Calif., court trying to rebut claims by “Fortnite” videogame creator Epic Games Inc. that Apple improperly prohibits competing app stores on the iPhone and forces in-app purchases for digital payments through its own system that takes as much as a 30% cut.

He argued that Apple’s prohibition of rival app stores on the iPhone and its insistence on reviewing all apps sold ensures the security of users. He also pushed back against Epic lawyers’ attempts to show the company was motivated by profit considerations.

As Mr. Cook’s time on the public witness stand neared an end, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers interjected, noting that game developers seemed to be generating a disproportionate amount of money for Apple compared with the technology the iPhone maker was providing in turn.

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