Apple boss Tim Cook is taking the witness stand for the first time in his company's major legal battle with Epic Games over an alleged monopoly.

Apple v Epic: Tim Cook takes the stand in Epic legal row

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2021-05-21 16:30:09

Apple boss Tim Cook is taking the witness stand for the first time in his company's major legal battle with Epic Games over an alleged monopoly.

Mr Cook's testimony is likely to deal with why Apple's business model is the way it is. He may be asked to justify top-level decisions around the App Store's policies and enforcement.

His opposite number in the case - Epic Games chief Tim Sweeney - has already appeared on the stand in the opening days of the long-running legal battle.

Two main things are at the centre of the case: the 30% commission Apple takes on in-app purchases, and the fact that no other app stores are allowed to exist on the iPhone and iPad to offer an alternative.

Epic's Fortnite is one of the most popular games in the world and makes its money through in-game purchases of character costumes and other digital items.

A 30% cut on millions of such purchases adds up to a lot - but Apple's rules forbid the company from circumventing its payment methods if a sale is made in the iPhone app.

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