Apple Inc was sued on Monday by French app inventors that indicted the iPhone maker of violatingU.S. antitrust law by overcharging them to use its app store.
The complainants in the proposed class action include Société du Figaro, which develops the Figaro news app;L’Équipe 24/24, which develops theL’Équipe sports news and streaming app, and Le Geste, an association of French content providers.
According to the complaint filed in the civil court in Oakland, California, Apple has abused its monopoly power over app distribution on iOS- grounded mobile bias by calling only one app store for those bias.
The complainants said this has enabled the Cupertino, California- grounded company to charge” supracompetitive” 30 commissions for 14 times, as well as$ 99 periodic freights to app inventors while stifling invention and consumer choice.
” There’s no valid business necessity orpro-competitive defense for Apple’s conduct,” the complaint said.” rather, Apple’s conduct are designed to destroy competition.”
Apple didn’t incontinently respond to requests for comment.
Monday’s complaint seeks an instruction against farther anticompetitive conduct, plus triadic damages for violating civil antitrust law and California state laws.
The complainants are represented by theU.S. law establishment Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, and Paris- grounded Fayrouze Masmi- Dazi.
Monday’s action resembles an earlier Hagens Berman case against Apple, which redounded last August in a $100 million agreement for lower iOS inventors that called Apple’s commissions inordinate.
In June, the establishment reached a $90 million agreement with Alphabet Inc’s Google over its app store’s treatment of inventors.
The case is Société du Figaro et al v Apple Inc,U.S. District Court, Northern District of California,No. 22- 04437.
