App Store antitrust case is ‘firing on all cylinders’

Jonathan Kanter, the head of the Department of Justice's antitrust unit, is intensifying the case against Apple over its App Store policies.

According to the Financial Times, Kanter – who assumed the role in November 2021 – has stated that the investigation is now "firing on all cylinders."

For years, regulators, businesses, and enforcers have sought to dismantle Apple's tightly integrated iOS ecosystem. Despite Apple's staunch defence, recent developments indicate a...

2 January 2024 | App Stores

Developers sue Apple over ‘excessive’ App Store fees

More than 1,500 developers in the UK have banded together to sue Apple, alleging that the tech giant's App Store fees are "excessive" and harmful to both developers and consumers. 

The class-action lawsuit, led by Sean Ennis, a professor at the University of East Anglia Centre for Competition Policy and a former OECD economist, is seeking £785 million (€912 million) in compensation for the affected app creators.

At the core of the legal challenge is Apple's policy of...

25 July 2023 | App Stores

Appeals court upholds majority of Apple’s App Store policies

On Monday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the majority of Apple’s App Store policies and security restrictions in the antitrust lawsuit against Epic Games.

The ruling reaffirmed that Apple’s App Store and its security measures did not violate antitrust laws. However, the court also found that Apple couldn’t maintain anti-steering policies that barred users from learning about alternative payment options.

The legal saga between Epic Games and Apple began...

25 April 2023 | App Stores

Judge rejects Apple’s bid to dismiss lawsuit by Cydia’s creator

California District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has denied Apple’s bid to dismiss a lawsuit brought against the company by Cydia’s creator.

Cydia was a third-party app store which, as you will be well aware, is officially a no-no in Apple’s books. The store was popular among the “jailbreak” community and even pre-dates the official App Store.

The creator of Cydia, Jay Freeman (AKA ‘Saurik’), ended up shutting his app store down in...

30 May 2022 | App Stores

Class-action lawsuit could force Apple to compensate users for app prices

A class-action lawsuit filed in the UK wants to force Apple to compensate users for potentially inflated app prices.

Until recently, Apple took a 30 percent commission on all app sales. Most app developers feel the cut is unjustifiable and critics believe that it’s an abuse of Apple’s market dominance.

Apple claims the legal action is “meritless”.

Similar criticisms have been made about other app stores but Apple’s grip over its operating system means...

11 May 2021 | App Stores

Epic Games takes its Apple antitrust lawsuit across the pond

Clearly unhappy with the lack of progress it’s making in the US, Epic Games is also launching its antitrust lawsuit against Apple in the UK.

Apple removed Epic’s hit game Fortnite from the App Store last year for using its own billing system rather than Cupertino’s own—thus evading the 30 percent cut taken by the iPhone maker.

“Epic believes that you have a right to save money thanks to using more efficient, new purchase options. Apple’s rules add a 30% tax...

15 January 2021 | App Stores

Epic calls out Apple in ‘Nineteen-Eighty Fortnite’ video following App Store removal

Epic Games has released a 1984 (or "Nineteen-Eighty Fortnite")-style parody of Apple's own famous video after Fortnite was removed from the App Store.

Apple removed the hit game after Epic attempted to circumvent the App Store's built-in payment systems. Not long after, Epic started the #FreeFortnite campaign and released this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euiSHuaw6Q4

Epic is among the increasing number of companies, developers, and even lawmakers that are...

14 August 2020 | App Stores