Another day, another lawsuit. he same law firm that recently secured an US$100 million settlement against Apple regarding its anticompetitive App Store policies is now representing France-based iOS developers for the same issues in a new antitrust lawsuit filed today in California federal court by Hagens Berman in association with Paris-based antitrust lawyer Fayrouze Masmi-Dazi.
The newly filed lawsuit against Apple accuses the tech giant of the same antitrust overpricing in its App Store functionality and in-app purchase (IAP) services and seeks to represent France-based iOS developers that were subjected to Apple’s high commissions, fees and other policies, according to Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman.
The class action’s named plaintiffs include Société du Figaro (developer of the Figaro news app and IAP subscriptions), L’Équipe 24/24 (developer of L’Équipe sports news and streaming app, and IAP subscriptions) and le GESTE, a French association comprised of France-based publishers of online content and services, including iOS developers. Plaintiffs claim they purchased overpriced iOS app-distribution and IAP services.
The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, bringing the France-based developers’ claims to Apple’s homecourt. It accuses Apple of engaging in anticompetitive practices in mandating only one app store for iOS devices, which set the stage for Apple to abuse its market power.
The lawsuit representing France-based iOS developers seeks to force Apple to end its “abusive monopoly and allow competition in the distribution of iOS apps and related products, to get rid of pricing mandates, and to reimburse developers for overcharges made through abuse of its monopoly power.”
