Court of Appeals rejects Apple’s bid to block App Store monopoly lawsuit

Apple failed to convince a US appeals court to block a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of monopolizing the iPhone app market and maintaining artificially high prices for tens of millions of customers. On Friday, May 24, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Apple’s request for a pretrial appeal following a February decision by a California federal judge to allow consumers to pursue billions of dollars in alleged damages.

U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers certified a class of consumers who spent at least $10 on Apple apps or in-app purchases since 2008. The lawsuit, originally filed in 2011, accuses Apple of violating U.S. antitrust laws by tightly controlling how customers download apps.

According to Reuters, an appeals court panel rejected Apple’s appeal without holding a hearing.

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Apple argued that Judge Rogers’ ruling would unfairly allow at least 10 million App Store accounts to be included in the case without the plaintiffs showing how the account holders were harmed. However, attorneys representing Apple clients urged the Ninth Court not to hear the case, arguing that Rogers “faithfully” followed prior rulings in deciding whether to approve class status.

The decision marks significant progress in a long-running legal battle over Apple’s control of the App Store, which has faced increasing scrutiny from regulators and competitors. The outcome of this case could have far-reaching consequences for the tech giant and its business practices, potentially changing the landscape of digital markets.

Source: Reuters