LONDON: Apple has lost a UK lawsuit accusing the technology giant of abusing its dominant App Store position.
The Competition Appeal Tribunal found that Apple excluded competition in the app distribution market while charging developers excessive and unfair commissions.
Claimants are seeking more than £1.5 billion in damages from the American technology company.
Apple strongly disagrees with the ruling and has announced its intention to appeal the decision.
King’s College London academic Rachael Kent and law firm Hausfeld & Co brought the case on behalf of millions of UK iPhone and iPad users.
Under UK class action law, all potentially affected individuals are automatically included in the procedure unless they voluntarily opt out.
Claimants argued during the trial that Apple overcharged users by banning rival app store platforms.
They stated that Apple’s 30% commission on App Store purchases directly resulted in consumers paying higher prices.
The core allegation was that Apple used its App Store to eliminate competitors while forcing users into its proprietary system.
Apple had previously denounced the lawsuit as baseless while maintaining its App Store faces vigorous competition from other platforms. – AFP
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