“Given the novelty and the magnitude of the issues, as well as the debate in both the academic community and society at large, the Court is unwilling to tilt the playing field in favor of one party or the other with an early ruling of likelihood of success on the merits,” Judge Gonzalez Rogers wrote in her ruling. The decision sets the stage for a May bench trial. Analysts estimate that Apple’s App Store generates at least $15 billion in annual sales for the Cupertino, Calif., company. The app marketplace has become an increasingly important revenue driver for Apple in recent years as part of its growing services business. It also comes a few days after a report from the Democratic-led House Antitrust Subcommittee accusing Apple of abusing its market power with regard to how it operates the App Store. The report referenced an article by The Wall Street Journal last year that said Apple’s apps routinely appeared in search results in its App Store ahead of those from rivals. At the time Apple said it doesn’t give its own products an advantage over others and that it uses an algorithm reliant on machine learning and past consumer preferences […]
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