Apple can’t escape a class-action antitrust lawsuit over anticompetitive App Store fees in the Netherlands, the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) said, reports Reuters.
The decision could see Apple facing hundreds of millions of euros in damages. An Apple spokesperson told Reuters that the company disagrees with the court ruling, saying that it is purely jurisdictional and that it will continue to vigorously defend itself in these proceedings, which it believes to be without merit.
In June the Dutch court confirmed a 2021 ruling by a Dutch consumer watchdog, saying that Apple had abused its dominant position by imposing unfair conditions on providers of dating apps in the App Store. The tech giant was ordered to pay a fine of 50 million euros (about US$58 million) for failure to comply with changes it had ordered to Apple’s app store to end practices it said violated European Union antitrust laws.
The Rotterdam District Court ruled that the ACM was therefore right to impose an order subject to a penalty for non-compliance, the article adds. The court ruled that ACM was right in finding that dating app providers had to use Apple’s own payment system, were not allowed to refer to payment options outside the App Store, and had to pay a 30% commission (15% for small providers) to Apple.
Apple appealed and convinced the ACM to delay its decision. However, now the class-action lawsuit will continue.
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Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today
