Apple Antitrust Class Action Lawsuit, App Store Consumer

Apple just lost its appeal of a court ruling allowing an antitrust class action lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers certified the group of consumers who spent at least $10 on Apple apps or in-app purchases since 2008. The lawsuit, filed in 2011, alleged that Apple violated U.S. antitrust laws by excessively limiting customers’ ability to download applications.

Neither Apple nor lawyers for the plaintiffs provided immediate comment Tuesday after the certificate was issued. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected Apple’s appeal to reconsider the class certification without a hearing.

Apple argued that certification would unfairly include more than 10 million App Store accounts in the lawsuit without adequately demonstrating harm to account holders. However, plaintiffs’ lawyers argued that Judge Rogers correctly applied existing legal precedents in deciding whether to grant class status.

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Apple’s legal team compared the case to a previous class action lawsuit involving Google that the Ninth Circuit agreed to hear. However, the appeals court did not rule in the Google case after the trial judge decided to invalidate his original order approving class action status.

Earlier this year, plaintiffs criticized Apple’s approach to litigation, describing it as a “scorched earth” strategy that led to excessive delays in the case. Both sides proposed a potential trial date of 2026.

In a related case, the U.S. Department of Justice in March accused Apple of monopolizing the smartphone market in a lawsuit filed in federal court in New Jersey. Apple has denied these allegations and indicated plans to seek dismissal of the lawsuit.

Meanwhile, Apple may soon change the logo on the back panel of the iPad. The company’s industrial designer Molly Anderson suggested changing the Apple logo on future iPad models. He mentioned that the current vertical logo may not be sustainable, suggesting that future changes may be on the horizon. He also discussed the orientation of the Apple logo on the iPad when it is used with a keyboard case or in landscape mode.

While the logo’s change in orientation is primarily cosmetic, it symbolizes a significant update to the Apple iPad design language.