Apple Faces UK Class Action Over App Store Charges

By Adria Calatayud

Apple Inc. is being sued in the U.K. over the commission it charges on purchases made on its App Store in a class-action lawsuit that argues that consumers are entitled to compensation.

Legal firm Hausfeld & Co LLP, which is leading the litigation, and class representative Rachael Kent, lecturer at King's College London, said Tuesday that the claim is being filed in the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London on behalf of around 19.6 million eligible U.K. iPhone and iPad users.

The case alleges that Apple forces ordinary users to use its own payment-processing system and argues that consumers, not app developers, are at the front of the line for compensation from the company, the claimants said.

Apple didn't respond to a request for comment on the U.K. lawsuit.

The U.K. legal action comes amid a U.S. trial in which "Fortnite" videogame maker Epic Games Inc. accused Apple of violating U.S. antitrust law. Apple responded that its app-marketplace policies are fair.

Write to Adria Calatayud at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 11, 2021 02:23 ET (06:23 GMT)

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