Apple faces £785 million UK lawsuit over App Store commissions
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Apple is facing a UK class action lawsuit from app developers accusing it of imposing an anti-competitive 30% commission on App Store sales.
As reported by Bloomberg, competition policy professor Sean Ennis will lead the case which could see Apple repaying up to £785 million ($995m) to around 13,000 developers.
The UK Competition Appeal Tribunal has allowed the suit to proceed, rejecting Apple’s attempts to block it.
Regulatory challenges
Apple’s app-fee policies have faced global regulatory scrutiny, including EU concerns that recent changes may have worsened conditions for developers.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently investigating potential anti-competitive behaviour by Apple and Google in the mobile market.
In China, Apple’s App Store ecosystem generated ¥3.76 trillion ($519.2bn) in developer billings and sales last year, with developers retaining over 95% of revenue.
Elsewhere, Apple plans to open a new office in Dublin, Ireland, which is expected to house several hundred staff. A deal is expected before Christmas.
