Apple Fails to Block $995M UK App Store Commission Lawsuit

A UK class action lawsuit against Apple over App Store commission fees will proceed after judges dismissed the company's attempt to block the case, Bloomberg reports.

app store blue banner uk fixed
Led by competition policy professor Sean Ennis, the suit alleges Apple's 15-30% commission on App Store sales creates an anti-competitive tax on the UK technology industry. The lawsuit seeks £785 million ($995 million) in damages on behalf of UK app developers. The case could potentially benefit up to 13,000 developers who have sold apps or in-app subscriptions to iOS users since July 2017.

The lawsuit follows similar challenges worldwide over Apple's App Store policies. Apple in January announced changes to its App Store terms in response to European Union regulations, but these modifications have also faced criticism from EU watchdogs for potentially making conditions worse for developers.

This latest legal challenge expands on a previous suit filed last year, which initially represented around 1,500 UK developers. Professor Ennis, who previously worked at the U.S. Department of Justice and European Commission, secured funding for the case through Harbour Litigation Funding.

Apple has consistently defended its App Store practices, maintaining that most developers pay no commission and that the platform provides valuable security and development resources. The company also emphasizes that developers can reach users through web browsers, where Apple's rules don't apply.

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Top Rated Comments

cjsuk Avatar
17 weeks ago

Just leave the UK, ever since Brexit it’s clear they have no idea what they’re doing when it comes to… Well, when it comes to anything lol
Amazing that despite this we managed to elect a Oxford Civil Law graduate as our Prime Minister instead of a convict.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dantay Avatar
17 weeks ago

Just leave the UK, ever since Brexit it’s clear they have no idea what they’re doing when it comes to… Well, when it comes to anything lol
Lol……you guys just elected a convicted felon for president and have more deaths from opioid overdoses than cancer or heart disease. People in glass houses that big shouldn’t even glance at a stone.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Techwatcher Avatar
17 weeks ago
Just leave the UK, ever since Brexit it’s clear they have no idea what they’re doing when it comes to… Well, when it comes to anything lol
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
17 weeks ago

The sense of entitlement extends beyond millennials to the EU and UK. Apple built the iPhone and supporting platforms to support the iPhone. For a developer, they created (with no assistance from outside organizations) a market where folks could make a living. You can create physical things like cases....you can create software. If Apple had not created any of this....there would be no iPhone app to create. What is so hard about paying a fee to participate in a market that you had absolutely nothing to do with creating? I don't understand why folks feel they are entitled to sell their iPhone products with no fees to Apple. It's not anti-competitive - everyone pays the same fees.

Here's another idea....go off and create your own device. Then create your own software for that device. No fees.
You know, before smartphones arrived, people who wanted to create a program to run on a computer did so and offered it however they wanted (over the internet) without having to get permission from the device maker or give the device maker a cut.

I say we go back to that model. And for developers who want to stick with Apple's App Store, Google's Play Store, Microsoft's store, they're all free to do so.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gusping Avatar
17 weeks ago
Lol at all the people who think things have dramatically changed since Brexit. They haven’t got a clue about the underlying legislation. Worry about Trump, first.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
17 weeks ago

Where is the Google, Sony, Steam, Nintendo, Xbox, etc lawsuit?
Are you asking for an update to the lawsuit where Alphabet/Google are being sued for £7 billion?

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241125957382/en/Hausfeld-UK-Competition-Court-Throws-Out-Google%E2%80%99s-Challenge-to-%C2%A37bn-Consumer-Lawsuit-Paving-Way-for-Full-Court-Showdown


The lawsuit against Sony for $7.9 billion?

https://www.reuters.com/technology/sony-facing-79-bln-mass-lawsuit-over-playstation-store-prices-2023-11-21/


Nintendo paid their fine decades ago

https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/31/business/europe-fines-nintendo-147-million-for-price-fixing.html


Microsoft got sued today by the UK for allegedly overcharging rival cloud firms’ customers

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/03/microsoft-overcharging-rival-cloud-firms-customers-uk-lawsuit-says.html


I guess a suit against Apple is going too far? ?‍♂️
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)