Smallerik
Inside the line · Outside the line

Five jurisdictions, twenty-eight pieces. One handset that behaves differently on each side of the border.

Smallerik covers who sets the rules on a phone, jurisdiction by jurisdiction, and what the numbers show.

Section 2 of five

Two courts, one question, and neither answer is finished

Epic v. Apple from the 2021 Oakland ruling to the 2025 contempt finding, Epic v. Google's December 2023 jury verdict and its injunction, the developer class settlements, and the consumer cases.

6 piecesThe Courts

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The exterior of the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Oakland, California, photographed on a clear day from the plaza

Everything in The Courts

6 pieces
  • Long-exposure light trails from traffic streak past a fountain and illuminated skyscrapers at nightPhoto: Gabo Orozco Lucio / Pexels

    The Courts · piece 1

    The One Clause Apple Lost

    A focused explainer on the anti-steering injunction — the single finding in Epic v. Apple that went against Apple at the Ninth Circuit — what it required Apple to permit, and why the 2025 contempt proceedings followed.

    Sources: Ninth Circuit opinion and the contempt docket.
  • Twin high-rise towers with tan and white facades against a blue skyPhoto: Ronald Dellums Federal Building · Wikimedia Commons

    The Courts · piece 2

    Oakland, 10 September 2021

    Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers' 185-page ruling, distilled: what she found on each of Epic's nine claims, why she rejected the market definition Epic argued, and what the ruling left open for appeal.

    Sources: the published opinion, case no. 4:20-cv-05640-YGR.
  • A Fairfax police SUV parked along a city street beside other vehiclesPhoto: Fairfax Police Ford SUV near the Ronald V Dellums Federal Building in Oakland, California · Wikimedia Commons

    The Courts · piece 3

    Apple in Contempt

    The April 2025 contempt finding against Apple for non-compliance with the anti-steering injunction — what Apple had done, what the court found it was required to do, and the remedies imposed.

    Every date and figure from the court docket.
  • Aerial view of San Francisco City Hall's illuminated dome amid the surrounding cityscape at duskPhoto: San Francisco City Hall as seen from 100 Van Ness at dusk (wide) · Wikimedia Commons

    The Courts · piece 4

    Twelve People in San Francisco, December 2023

    The December 2023 jury verdict in Epic v. Google, where jurors found Google had illegally monopolised the Android app distribution market — a walk-through of what Epic argued, what Google argued, and what the jury found on each question.

    Sources: the published verdict form and trial transcript excerpts.
  • Upward view of the Phillip Burton Federal Building and United States Courthouse facadePhoto: Phillip Burton Federal Building · Wikimedia Commons

    The Courts · piece 5

    The Injunction Google Is Still Fighting

    Judge James Donato's remedies order following the Epic v. Google verdict — requiring Google to open the Play Store to competing stores and alternative billing — and the procedural steps Google has taken to delay or narrow it.

    Sources: the remedies order and Google's subsequent filings.
  • Phone showing the Bancontact logo resting on a laptop keyboard next to a shopping websitePhoto: Julio Lopez / Pexels

    The Courts · piece 6

    What the Developer Settlements Actually Changed

    A sceptical accounting of the Apple developer class settlement (2021, $100 million) and the Google Play developer settlement, comparing what developers received against what the complaints alleged, and which practices each settlement left intact.

    Sources: settlement agreements and court approval orders.