Overview
- Britain’s Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled Apple abused dominance from October 2015 through 2020 by shutting out rival distribution and charging excessive developer commissions.
- Class members are entitled to compensation in a case valued at about £1.5 billion, with a November hearing to determine how damages will be calculated and to consider Apple’s bid to appeal.
- Judges set benchmark rates for damages of 17.5% for app distribution and 10% for in‑app payments and found roughly 50% of overcharges were passed on to consumers.
- Apple said it will appeal, calling the ruling a flawed view of a competitive app economy and defending its fees as supporting security, privacy, and developer tools.
- In a separate U.S. proceeding, Ninth Circuit judges questioned a zero‑commission remedy and examined how to define a reasonable fee as they review a contempt finding tied to Apple’s off‑store charges.