Apple will tell the Supreme Court today that it cannot be sued by the iPhone owners who claim that the App Store has an unlawful monopoly.
Since iPhone owners can only buy apps through the App Store, they are arguing that Apple’s 30 percent commission is basically a way to gouge prices and pass the additional cost on to consumers.
The battle over the App Store, which has been going on for almost a decade, is finally being argued before the Supreme Court. The monopoly issue will not be addressed for now, but the Court will determine whether iPhone users can bring the case at all. Apple’s argument is that only app developers could bring such a suit.
If the Court permits the suit to go forward, experts say that this could force Apple to refund a percentage of every app sold over a four year period. This could be significant to the company’s stock and therefore could affect shareholders.
The Court’s decision in this case could open up other tech companies that operate electronic marketplaces to similar challenges.
Additional Resources
Apple will tell the Supreme Court that it can’t be sued by iPhone users who say the App Store is a monopoly, CNBC, November 26, 2018
View the briefs and filings: Apple v. Pepper
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