Washington keeps close eye as Apple antitrust fight goes to court

Apple will head to federal court in California on Monday to defend itself in an antitrust trial with Epic Games, a case that is expected to be closely watched in Washington as lawmakers and regulators crack down on the market power of Silicon Valley giants.

Epic Games is suing Apple over claims of anti-competitive behavior. The dispute stems from Apple’s decision in August to kick Epic’s popular Fortnite game out of its app store after the developer set up its own payment system in an attempt to avoid the 30 percent commission fees charged by Apple.