IT House reported on July 2 that Apple Inc. will face a comprehensive trial in the UK due to accusations of violating competition regulations. The prosecutors believe that its App Store charges are too high and users need to bear too many costs.
The London-based Competition Appeal Tribunal (Competition Appeal Tribunal) rejected Apple's request to limit or dismiss the class action .
The lawsuit is being led by digital economy expert and lecturer Dr Rachael Kent, who said in a statement to the Daily Mail :
She said: "I compete for The Court of Appeal applauds this clear and considered decision. "Claims of this scale are always vigorously opposed. Our accusations of anti-competitive behavior by Apple strike at the heart of Apple's business strategy, and Apple has virtually unlimited resources. It will always be a challenging fight."
According to Dr. Kent’s complaint, Apple’s 30% commission on apps and in-app purchases is unfair. In addition, she believes that Apple's price cuts force developers to increase prices, thereby passing the costs on to consumers, and users should not become victims of their business practices.
IT House learned that Apple disputed this claim at a court hearing in May this year. They disagreed that the 30% commission was unfair or excessive, on the grounds that she used the wrong legal test. However, the court rejected all of Apple's arguments outright.
Tribunal Judge Ben Tidswell said: "We do not accept Apple's contention that the petition reveals a legal error or a flawed approach, either in relation to the correct legal test for abuse or the practice. Economic value considerations.”
It is worth mentioning that this is not the first time that Apple has been criticized for taking a 30% cut in the App Store, but in fact the company’s cut rate is higher than that of most App stores. Standards, but still encountered opposition from legislators and developers, the most famous of which was the Epic Games antitrust case. However, after that, Apple proposed another solution. Their App Store sales were less than 1 million US dollars. developers have reduced their commissions by 15%, although some are still dissatisfied.
