Apple sued for not allowing Coronavirus Reporter in the App Store

Another day, another lawsuit. As noted by AppleInsider, Apple is being used for allegedly rejecting a coronavirus contact tracing app to maintain a monopoly in COVID-19 exposure notification.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the New Hampshire District and involves a smartphone application called “Coronavirus Reporter” that was 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 say Apple’s actions constitute violations of the anti-monopoly Sherman Act. They want an enjoinment on the alleged anti-competitive behavior; damages in excess of US$75,000; and a permanent injunction restraining Apple’s ability from “restricting reasonable applications.”