Apple accused of breaking UK competition law by overcharging for its apps
Written by, Ljubica Gjorgievska
Updated September, 28, 2021
After being accused of breaking the UK competition by overcharging for apps on its App Store, Apple faces a billion-pound legal claim.
Apple is accused of intentionally shutting out its competition in the store and forcing people to use its payment processing system; keep in mind the iOS app store has over 2.1 million apps. Actually, the claim is that Apple’s policy forces developers to use its payment systems for in-app purchases and get a 30% commission on these transactions.
The claim is filed on behalf of millions of UK Apple users, who claim that the company’s practices have overcharged them. However, it seems that over 19 million users might be eligible for compensation, and the company may end up paying damages up to £1.5 billion.
The first one that brought a subject against Apple in the US was Epic Games, the company that made the popular game Fortnite, accusing the iPhone company of taking 15% to 30% commissions on in-app purchases.
In recent months, there have been some growing concerns over the App Store policies. In April, after a complaint by Spotify, the European Commission charged Apple of abusing its dominant position in the music streaming market with its in-app payments.
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