2020年经济学人 神仙打架:苹果vsEpic(1)

Business

商业版块

Epic¹ vs Apple

Epic对战苹果

Storing up trouble

埋下祸根

Let the courtroom battle commence

让法庭大战开始吧

Fittingly, the legal deathmatch is happening online. On September 28th a court in California heard arguments, via video call, in a case that pits Apple against Epic Games, the maker² of “Fortnite”, a hit video game. At issue is whether the tight control Apple exerts over the software that can run on its smartphones amounts to a monopolistic abuse of power. The verdict, when it comes, may determine what other digital marketplaces can and cannot do.

一场法律上的死亡竞赛恰好在网络上展开。9月28日，加利福尼亚的一家法院通过视频电话的形式，就苹果公司与Epic Games之间的诉讼纠纷举行了听证会。Epic Games是一款热门电子游戏“堡垒之夜”的开发商。诉讼议题是，苹果公司对智能手机上运行的软件进行严格控制的行径是否构成了垄断性的权力滥用。法院的最终裁决可能会影响到其他数字市场的有所为和有所不为。

Apple’s software practices have seen challenges before. But Epic’s is the most brazen³. In August Epic offered “Fortnite” players 20% off ingame purchases on iPhones if they paid Epic directly, not via Apple’s App Store, which takes a 30% cut on most transactions made in apps. This violated App Store terms; “Fortnite” was booted from the platform. Expecting this, Epic responded with the lawsuit⁴ (and a cheeky PR campaign).

苹果公司对应用软件的严格控制行径过去也曾面临过挑战。但Epic公司挑战苹果公司的做法最为明目张胆。今年8月，Epic公司向“堡垒之夜”内购的玩家提供了20%的折扣，优惠限于直接向Epic，而不是通过苹果应用商店付费购买的苹果手机用户。苹果应用商店会从大多数交易中抽成30%。Epic的做法违反了苹果应用商店的条款，因此“堡垒之夜”被从平台上下架。已经料到如此的Epic公司以发起诉讼（以及厚颜无耻的公关活动）进行回击。

The hearing concerned the narrow question of whether Epic could force Apple to return “Fortnite” to the App Store while the case proceeds. But it offered a preview of both sides’ arguments. Epic contends that Apple’s “walled garden”—in which iPhone software can be downloaded only via the App Store—stifles competition. In 2018 Epic launched a PC games store, charging a 12% commission. Steam, the dominant⁵ store, then dropped its cut from 30% to 20% for top-selling games. Tim Sweeney, Epic’s feisty boss, argues that Apple prevents something similar on iPhones.

此次听证会只涉及Epic公司能否在案件受理期间迫使苹果公司重新在应用商店上架“堡垒之夜”。但这一议题已经表明了双方的辩论立场。Epic认为，苹果手机上的应用软件只能通过苹果应用商店进行下载，苹果的“围墙花园”扼杀了竞争。2018年，Epic推出了一款电脑端游戏商店，收取12%的佣金。随后，主流游戏商店Stream将畅销游戏的抽成比例从30%下调至20%。Epic的老板蒂姆·斯威尼据理力争地辩称，苹果公司阻碍了在苹果手机上出现类似的竞争。

Apple retorts that those who dislike its rules have plenty of alternatives. “Fortnite” is available on desktop⁶ PCs, games consoles and smartphones that run on Android, a rival operating system made by Google. In a statement, Apple accused Epic of forcing its hand and “putting customers in the middle of their fight”. It has countersued Epic for breaching⁷ its App Store contract.

苹果则进行了反驳，开发商们要是不喜欢苹果的规则，那也还有很多选择。“堡垒之夜”可以在台式电脑、游戏机和安卓系统的智能机上运行（安卓是谷歌旗下的操作系统，与苹果系统存在竞争关系）。在一份声明中，苹果公司指责Epic强迫自己采取行动，“将消费者牵扯进争斗之中”。苹果反诉Epic违反了苹果应用商店合同。

Mark Patterson of Fordham University sees parallels with Microsoft’s run-in with trustbusters in 2001. The software giant’s bundling of a web browser⁸ with its Windows operating system was eventually found to be anticompetitive. Apple exerts more power over iPhones than Microsoft did over Windows PCs, Mr Patterson says. But its market share in smartphones is smaller than Microsoft’s was in desktops⁹.

福特汉姆大学的马克·帕特森认为，这与2001年微软与反垄断者的官司是类似的情况。最终判决微软这家软件巨头将网页浏览器与Windows操作系统捆绑在一起的行为属于反竞争行为。帕特森先生表示，苹果公司对苹果手机的控制力度要大于微软对Windows系统的控制力度，但苹果的智能手机市场份额却小于微软的台式电脑市场份额。

1 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

2 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

3 brazen   

adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的

参考例句：

• The brazen woman laughed loudly at the judge who sentenced her.那无耻的女子冲着给她判刑的法官高声大笑。
• Some people prefer to brazen a thing out rather than admit defeat.有的人不愿承认失败，而是宁肯厚着脸皮干下去。

4 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

5 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

6 desktop   

n.桌面管理系统程序；台式

参考例句：

• My computer is a desktop computer of excellent quality.我的计算机是品质卓越的台式计算机。
• Do you know which one is better,a laptop or a desktop?你知道哪一种更好，笔记本还是台式机？

7 breaching   

攻破( breach的过去式 )； 破坏，违反

参考例句：

• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。
• Third, an agency can abuse its discretion by breaching certain principles of judge-made law. 第三，行政机关会因违反某些法官制定的法律原则而构成滥用自由裁量权。

8 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

9 desktops   

桌面( desktop的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You switch between these virtual desktops by clicking on the one you want to make active. 只需单击你所希望激活的桌面就可以在这些虚拟桌面之间进行切换。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Laptops outsell desktops for the first time in the United States. 膝上型电脑首次在美国销售量胜过桌上型电脑。