'Fortnite' creator Epic Games makes case against Apple at antitrust trial

FILE PHOTO: Fortnite game graphic is displayed on a smartphone in front of Apple logo in this illustration taken May 2, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

OAKLAND, Calif. (Reuters) -Attorneys for "Fortnite" creator Epic Games on Monday argued at an antitrust trial against Apple Inc the iPhone maker has turned its App Store into a "walled garden" with a "Venus fly trap" designed to lock in 1 billion iPhone users and the developers who want to reach them.

The three-week trial in Oakland, California, the culmination of a lawsuit Epic brought last year in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, centers on two Apple practices that have become cornerstones of its business: Apple's requirement that virtually all third-party software for the world's 1 billion iPhones be distributed through its App Store, and the requirement that developers use Apple's in-app purchase system, which charges commissions of up to 30%.