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Showing Original Post only (View all)Supreme Court rules against Apple, allowing lawsuit targeting App Store to proceed [View all]
Source: Washington Post
Apple suffered a significant defeat at the Supreme Court on Monday, when the justices ruled that consumers could forge ahead with a lawsuit against the iPhone giant over the way it manages its App Store.
The 5-4 decision could spell serious repercussions for one of Apples most lucrative lines of business, and open the door for similar legal action targeting other tech giants in Silicon Valley. Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh joined the liberal justices in the majority.
At the heart of the case is Apple's handling of iPhone and iPad apps created by third-party developers and made available on its heavily curated App Store. Apple long has taken a commission on every paid app sold through this portal, rankling some developers that essentially see it as a tax.
The policy led iPhone owners to band together in 2011 with a class-action lawsuit, led by plaintiff Robert Pepper, who argued that consumers ultimately felt the brunt of Apples policies because developers raised the prices of their apps. These consumers brought their case under federal antitrust laws, arguing that Apples practices made it a monopoly.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/05/13/supreme-court-rules-against-apple-allowing-lawsuit-targeting-app-store-proceed/?utm_term=.1caadedd4524