来源：《新科学家》
原文刊登日期：2021年5月7日
The future of the rules used to regulate big tech companies hangs in the balance. Epic Games, a maker of online video games, is currently facing Apple in a US federal court, in a trial that could not just decide how mobile apps operate, but how technology firms can act in general.
用于监管大型科技公司的规则的未来前途未卜。网络视频游戏制造商Epic-Games目前在美国联邦法院与苹果公司对峙，这场审判不仅决定了移动应用程序的运作方式，还决定了科技公司的总体行动方式。
It all began in 2020, when Epic Games launched an update of its iOS app that bypassed Apple’s payment system, allowing it to take direct payment – a violation of Apple’s terms of service. Apple typically takes a 30 per cent commission on every purchase made on more than 1 billion iPhones around the world. The update meant it would miss out.
这一切都始于2020年，当时Epic-Games发布了iOS应用的更新，绕过了苹果的支付系统，允许它直接接受支付，这违反了苹果的服务条款。苹果通常会从全球超过10亿部iphone的每一笔交易中抽取30%的佣金。这次更新意味着苹果公司将会失去来自Epic-Games的收入。
Apple promptly banned Epic Games from its App Store. Epic argues that Apple runs a monopoly with its App Store, which puts smaller app developers at a disadvantage, especially compared with Apple’s own apps that can avoid the fee.
苹果立即将Epic-Games从其App-Store中封杀。Epic认为，苹果的App-Store是一种垄断，这让小型应用开发商处于不利地位，尤其是与苹果自己的应用相比，后者可以免收佣金。
The court will have to answer two key questions: is Apple running a monopoly with its App Store? And should it be allowed to take a 30 per cent revenue cut of every App Store purchase?
法庭将不得不回答两个关键问题：苹果是否垄断了其应用商店？是否应该允许它从App-Store的每笔交易中抽取30%的收益分成？
“These cases are difficult to win because it hinges on the court’s definition of what a digital market is”, says Anirudh Ekambaranathan, a researcher at the University of Oxford. Epic Games argues that the App Store itself is a market in which Apple has a complete monopoly. Apple argues that games can not only be played on all sorts of platforms, including Android as well as Apple phones, but also devices like PlayStation.
牛津大学研究员阿尼鲁德•埃卡姆巴拉纳森表示：“这些案件很难胜诉，因为它取决于法庭对数字市场的定义。”Epic-Games认为，App-Store本身就是一个苹果完全垄断的市场。苹果认为，游戏不仅可以在各种平台上玩，包括Android和苹果手机，也可以在PlayStation等设备上玩。
Unlike Android, the iOS operating system only allows people to install apps directly from its App Store. This has advantages and disadvantages. One benefit of this centralised control is that Apple has a much tighter grip on privacy and security compared with Android. It also means that Apple can more easily impose its terms and conditions. This recently angered Facebook, when Apple introduced “app tracking transparency”, a feature that makes it easy for users to opt out of detailed tracking on apps, an option that nearly all users are choosing.
与安卓不同的是，iOS操作系统只允许人们直接从其应用商店安装应用程序。这有优点也有缺点。这种集中控制的一个好处是，与Android相比，苹果在隐私和安全方面有更严格的控制。这也意味着苹果可以更容易地实施自己的条款和条件。这最近激怒了Facebook，苹果推行了“应用跟踪透明度”，这一功能让用户很容易选择不让应用跟踪自己的详细信息，而几乎所有用户都选择不让应用跟踪。
But Apple is also a powerful gatekeeper and has been accused of privacy hypocrisy. The company can decide what kinds of apps users are allowed to install on their phones, reducing choice for consumers. Following a complaint by audio-streaming service Spotify, the European Commission recently published a preliminary view saying that Apple “distorted competition in the music streaming market” using its dominant market position.
但苹果也是一个强有力的把关人，并被指责为伪善的隐私保护者。苹果公司可以决定用户可以在他们的手机上安装什么类型的应用，这减少了消费者的选择。在音频流媒体服务商Spotify提出申诉后，欧盟委员会最近发布了一份初步意见，称苹果利用其市场主导地位“扭曲了音乐流媒体市场的竞争”。
No matter the result of the US case, which will be decided by a judge, it is likely to have long-term implications for corporate power. If Epic Games wins, Apple will have to make major concessions in relation to how it runs its platforms. If Epic Games loses, this would give support to those who argue that current antitrust law isn’t fit for purpose to rein in the dominance of the big tech companies and needs to be reformed.
美国此案将由法官裁决，无论结果如何，都可能对企业权力产生长期影响。如果Epic-Games获胜，苹果将不得不在运营平台方面做出重大让步。如果Epic-Games败诉，这将支持那些认为现行反垄断法不适合遏制大型科技公司主导地位、需要改革的人。