Store front at Apple Battersea, where Apple’s UK headquarters is
A class action lawsuit against Apple over the App Store‘s 30% fee will go ahead, after a UK tribunal rejects the company’s argument for dismissal.
In July 2023, a suit was brought against Apple in the UK on behalf of 1,566 developers based in the country, saying Apple’s 30% fee was excessive, and an abuse of its monopoly position. Then in January 2024, Apple filed a motion to have the tribunal dismiss the case entirely.
However, Judge Andrew Lenon ruled that the class action, brought by law professor Sean Ennis, could go ahead. Judge Lenon said in a written ruling that the case had a realistic chance of establishing that “Apple’s overcharging of commission to app developers based in the UK in relation to commerce transacted on non-UK storefronts did amount to conduct implemented in the UK.”
In other words, the class action claimants can attempt to argue in court that Apple should not have charged 30% for any app purchases, in or out of the UK.
