Apple lawsuit for nearly $1 billion given the green light in the UK
A class action lawsuit against Apple was given the green light to proceed. The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) of the United Kingdom rejected the request from Apple to block the case, essentially allowing a group of 1,566 app developers, later extended to nearly 13,000, to go forward with requesting Cupertino to repay £785 million, or about $995 million, in commission on apps.
The core argument is that Apple used its monopolistic power to make iOS users download apps over the App Store, therefore collecting a 30% commission on all purchases. The tech company wanted to block the case because UK courts have no jurisdiction over commissions on app sales made outside the United Kingdom, but the argument was rejected.
The group of developers is led by Sean Ennis, a professor at the Centre of Competition Policy at the University of East Anglia and a former economist at the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). They claim that charges are unfair in their own right and constitute abusive pricing.
