Epic Games, Inc. v. Apple Inc.

Background

This posttrial order addressed several administrative matters in the case, including a pending stipulation, Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC’s request to clarify an earlier sealing order, final requests to seal documents or portions of documents, and previously deferred sealing requests. The court explained that the case concerns business competition and that court records are generally subject to a strong presumption of public access. Under the applicable standard, sealing requires sufficiently strong reasons—such as protecting trade secrets—that outweigh the public interest in disclosure.

Rulings

- The court granted the pending stipulation at Docket No. 741. Under that stipulation, the exhibits identified in the order were deemed withdrawn. The supplied opinion text cuts off partway through that exhibit list. - The court amended its earlier ruling on Sony’s sealing request concerning DX-3660 because of a typographical error. The sentence defining “Competitive Platform” must be unredacted, while the remaining proposed redactions were found appropriately sealed. - The court granted Epic Games’ administrative motion to seal concerning Expert 1, except that the proposed redactions in paragraph 88 must be unsealed and made public. - The court granted Apple Inc.’s administrative motions to seal at Docket Nos. 729, 730, 735, 740, and 747 as to the documents covered by the order, subject to the document-specific instructions stated in the order. Those instructions kept certain proposed redactions sealed, required other portions of PX-2302 to be unredacted, and allowed a referenced monetary amount in one portion to remain redacted and sealed. The order also warned Apple that the court might cite sealed portions in a later final order on the merits. - The court granted Epic Games’ administrative motion at Docket No. 731 to partially seal DX-4133, while warning that the court might cite sealed portions in a later final order on the merits. - The court granted previously deferred requests to seal, to the extent they had not already been decided, as requested by the parties or non-parties.

Effect of the Order

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’s order resolved the listed administrative docket matters and terminated Docket Nos. 699, 729, 730, 731, 735, 739, 740, 741, and 747. It was a procedural order about withdrawn exhibits and public access to court records; it did not decide who prevailed on the underlying dispute between Epic Games and Apple Inc.