Another day, another lawsuit. The “Coronavirus Reporter” developer and Calid, Inc., have teamed up to represent “themselves and all others similarly situated” in a legal battle with Apple, reports AppleInsider. A new class actions suit has been filed with the US District Court for the Northern District of California.
The lawsuit claims that Apple unfairly promotes certain free apps in the App Stor. The folks behind Coronavirus Reporter and Calid want $200 billion in damages for themselves and other similarly-affected companies.
The Coronavirus Reporter makers have sued Apple before. The first time was for $800 million. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the New Hampshire District over the fact that Coronavirus Reporterwas denied entry to the App Store in March 2020. Coronavirus Reporter, the lawsuit claims, was developed by a team of healthcare and computer science experts in February 2020 to “capture and obtain critical biostatistical and epidemiological data as it happened.”
However, Apple wouldn’t allow the app on the App Store because the tech giant bars coronavirus-related apps that aren’t from recognized medical, government, or other institution. The app’s developers appealed to no avail.
They said Apple’s actions constitute violations of the anti-monopoly Sherman Act. They wanted, but didn’t get, an enjoinment on the alleged anti-competitive behavior; damages in excess of $75,000; and a permanent injunction restraining Apple’s ability from “restricting reasonable applications.”
