Overview
- The Competition Appeal Tribunal refused Apple permission to appeal its October finding that the company’s App Store commission practices were unlawful.
- Apple can now apply directly to the Court of Appeal to challenge the refusal and seek to contest the underlying liability judgment.
- The tribunal is setting a methodology to calculate compensation for developers and consumers, with media estimates placing potential exposure at roughly £1–2 billion and a final sum expected next year.
- Filed in 2023 on behalf of more than 1,500 UK developers, the case established that Apple holds full control over iPhone app distribution and that developers had no economically viable alternative to the App Store.
- The judgment cited Steve Jobs’ 2008 comment about not profiting from the App Store, as Apple prepares appeal arguments focused on market definition, privacy and security, and the value of its intellectual property.