Apple Hit With Lawsuit From App Store Developer Over Copycat Apps

App developer Kosta Eleftheriou, who highlighted the problem of scam and copycat apps on the App Store last month, is now suing Apple for a variety of allegations, including negligence and anticompetitive conduct (via The Verge).

app store blue banner

Eleftheriou's complaint, filed against Apple in Santa Clara County, California, accuses the company of exploiting its control over iOS apps "to make billions of dollars in profits at the expense of small application developers and consumers."

Eleftheriou explains that his keyboard app for the Apple Watch, "FlickType," was targeted by poorly-functioning competing software that eroded his sales and App Store rankings through false advertising and the purchase of fake reviews. The lawsuit revolves around the allegation that Apple failed to do enough to combat the scams, even though it did later remove some of the copycat apps. Specifically, Apple is accused of false advertising, unfair competition, breach of its developer agreement, negligence, and fraud.

Apple entices software application developers like Plaintiff to develop innovative applications with the promise of a fair and secure App Store in which to sell them. In truth, Apple systematically flexes its monopoly muscle against potential competition through the App Store and profits from rampant fraudulent practices. If Apple cannot buy a desired application from a developer on the cheap, Apple attempts to crush that developer through exploitive fees and selective application of opaque and unreasonable constraints against the developer.

Apple attempted to acquire FlickType before purportedly raising "roadblock after roadblock" to the app being sold on the ‌App Store‌. Eleftheriou alleges that Apple actively chose to allow scam and copycat apps on the ‌App Store‌ in an effort to force him to "give up" and sell his app to Apple "at a discount," and claims that this period resulted in a year of lost revenue.

At the same time, Apple permits other developers that Apple does not view as real competition, including scam competitors, to peddle similar, inferior products because Apple profits from their sales. Scammers oftentimes use screenshots and videos taken from legitimate developer's applications and manipulate their ratings. Apple does little to police these practices because it profits from them. Apple then lies to its regulators by asserting that it must maintain its monopoly power over the sale of Apple-related applications to protect consumers, when, in fact, Apple lets them get ripped off and exploits the developers trying to deliver innovation to consumers.

Once the app was available for sale, the complaint alleges that revenue was severely hemorrhaged by a wave of scam and copycat software. Apple is accused of "intentionally" failing to police these apps, "while Apple continues to amass huge profits for itself."

Apple holds both its device users and developers hostage. Yet each time it faces antitrust claims, Apple justifies its monopoly by claiming it is necessary to protect its users and developers from unscrupulous conduct and ensure a fair competitive marketplace for the benefit of both. In truth, Apple turns a blind eye to rampant fraud and exploitation to make an easy profit.

The complaint joins a plethora of other ongoing lawsuits against Apple, amid increasing scrutiny over the company's control over the ‌App Store‌ and potential anticompetitive behavior.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's Upcoming Macs Listed in New Report

Thursday July 3, 2025 9:09 am PDT by
AppleInsider's Marko Zivkovic today shared a list of alleged identifiers for future Mac models, which should roll out over the next year or so. The report does not reveal anything too surprising, but it does serve as further evidence that Apple is seemingly working on new models of every Mac, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. Apple is...

Top Rated Comments

iAFC Avatar
56 months ago
Was browsing the App Store the other day and noticed how it's absolutely littered with sh*tty apps from unknown developers that can't have any purpose other than scamming or data mining. I thought the whole reason of the "walled garden" was to avoid this.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rob_2811 Avatar
56 months ago

Soooo... I fApple gave up its monopoly powers over its App Store, then the copycat software would go away why exactly?
No but they shouldn't be allowed to use the 'We are protecting you from bad actors' argument when their monopoly is called out.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MGrayson3 Avatar
56 months ago
Soooo... If Apple gave up its monopoly powers over its App Store, then the copycat software would go away why exactly?
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Smith288 Avatar
56 months ago
I made a Turkey call app 12 yrs ago and a bunch of copy cats came out when my app reached the top 10 in the sporting category. Just rip off my UI, take the sounds I made and repackaged it as “Turkey Sounds” or “Turkey Calling Free”. It’s annoying and depressing.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnysods Avatar
56 months ago
If this story is true then I agree with the lawsuit - I couldn't imagine the helpless feeling of having to go against Apple if they want your tech and put the squeeze on you by allowing fakers to push your revenue down. It reminds me of those scooby doo stories where they drive real estate down so the victim sells cheap just to get out.

Hope the truth comes out either way.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
56 months ago

No but maybe another App Store would arrive that actually police the apps and guarantee that they are legit and working. Then they might attract more customers and also get exclusives from developers that are tired of all the crap in the regular App Store.
But then what’s to stop copycats from just putting the copies on other app stores?

Doesn’t do the developer any good that store A has no copycats when store B still does, and store C is nothing BUT copycats because it does NO vetting.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)