Apple Asks Judge to Dismiss App Store Monopoly Lawsuit
Apple has asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that Apple has an illegal monopoly because the iPhone does not allow users to use alternative app stores by default, reports Bloomberg.Attorneys who filed the suit in 2011 claim that a monopoly exists because an iPhone user who doesn’t want to pay what developers charge for applications available through Apple’s App Store can’t go anywhere else to buy them. Apple requires iPhone software developers to turn over 30 percent of what they charge for an application, increasing prices and excluding competitors from the iPhone “aftermarket” of applications, they claim.The plaintiffs argue that because a consumer can't buy Angry Birds for the iPhone from an alternative app store, Apple has an illegal monopoly and is reducing consumer choice.
Apple doesn’t set the price for paid applications, and charging a price for distribution of a product on a new and unique platform doesn’t violate any antitrust laws, said Dan Wall, Apple’s attorney, at yesterday’s court hearing in Oakland, California.
This isn't the first time Apple has been accused of running an illegal monopoly. The iTunes Store and iBookstore have previously been the subject of lawsuits. This lawsuit was originally filed in 2011, in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (Oakland).
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11 weeks ago
They do know that having an iphone isn't compulsory, don't they? Other phones are available and they are free to choose one of those. Muppets!
11 weeks ago
I am suing Microsoft next week... I should be able to play non licensed games, maybe even playstation games on my 360...
11 weeks ago
If there were no options like buying another phone, maybe, but this is a waste of time and money.
11 weeks ago
They do know that having an iphone isn't compulsory, don't they? Other phones are available and they are free to choose one of those. Muppets!
The "If you don't like it, leave" doesn't fly with Monopoly investigations.
11 weeks ago
The "If you don't like it, leave" doesn't fly with Monopoly investigations.
You can't be a monopoly in and of yourself. Your cable company is not required to support downloading of other sources to the cable box you get from them.
11 weeks ago
Yep, I don't get that either. You don't HAVE to buy Windows if you don't want to. Other platforms are available.
11 weeks ago
this is like complaining that someone can't use sonicare brush heads on an oral-b electric toothbrush.......
11 weeks ago
Ok, so should Microsoft be investigated for having a monopoly on Xbox360 games? Should Sony be investigated for having a monopoly on PS3 games? Should Microsoft be investigated for not being able to run PS3 games? Should Sony be investigated for not being able to run Xbox360 games?
:rolleyes:
Did you even read the article? They're being investigated for the way you can get the apps, You can only get them from a single App Store, Apples App Store. There's nowhere else to turn to for apps.
If you want to buy PS3 games or Xbox 360 games you can go to a number of different stores, dozens and dozens, or order them online, or download them. Your comparisons are hillarious. Are Apple being investigated for not being able to run Android apps on the iPhone? No.
Thanks for playing.
11 weeks ago
This is just silly. We are free to choose which phone we want to buy. I chose the iPhone. I absolutely without a doubt do not want the Android App Store (or whatever the heck it's called) on my iPhone. If I did, I would obviously own an Android phone.
11 weeks ago
apple fanboys are strange cats, if this article was about only being able to install software on your Mac by way of the MAS, the fanboys would be upset, change the platform and the fanboys are upset people want options
That is because the Mac has been open to all software from the start. The iPhone app store was always closed so we knew what we were getting into.
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