Apple loses $2B UK App Store lawsuit
A British tribunal ruled against Apple in the nation’s first class action-style case representing 20 million users. Academic Rachel Kent filed the lawsuit in January 2025, claiming the company blocked App Store competition and charged developers excessive fees that harmed consumers. The Competition Appeal Tribunal sided with Kent and ordered Apple to pay 1.5 billion pounds in damages.
Apple plans to appeal the decision and disputes claims about its market practices. The company faces similar legal challenges across multiple countries regarding app distribution controls. Courts in the United States forced Apple to allow external payment systems following the Epic Games litigation. Chinese regulators opened an antitrust investigation into allegations of an App Store monopoly.
