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27 Nov 2018 11:00am

US Supreme Court Appeared 'Open' to Allowing Lawsuit Accusing Apple of App Store Monopoly

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US top court justices on Monday appeared open to allowing proceedings in the lawsuit that accused Apple of operating an illegal App Store monopoly.

The lawsuit was filed in 2011 by a group of iPhone users who alleged that the tech giant violates federal antitrust laws, as it requires apps to be sold through its App Store, where it collects a 30 percent commission from each purchase, which lead app developers to increase their prices – passing on the burden to consumers. The lawsuit also sought monetary damages.

The iPhone users, led by Robert Pepper, believe that the price of the apps would become lower outside of the App Store, if Apple’s 30 percent cut would not be inseparably included in prices.

Although, the lawsuit against Apple was initially dismissed by a California district court in 2013, owing to errors in the complaint, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit had revived the case in 2017.

Apple has, however, since the beginning argued that it doesn’t set prices for paid apps. The tech giant further said that it is merely acting as a middleman between app developers and users, and so, it cannot be legally blamed for any “passed on” charges.

As per the reports coming out of the courtroom, justices appeared skeptical of Apple’s arguments in the case, but skeptical questioning could merely be the product of holding a thorough hearing.


Tagged: Apple App Store Antitrust Lawsuit Apple App Store Lawsuit US Court of Appeals US Supreme Court
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