US appeals court rules Apple can be sued for monopolizing app market

iPhone app purchasers may sue Apple over allegations that it has monopolized the mobile app market by not allowing users to purchase them outside the App Store, reports Reuters. The decision comes from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and it revives a long-standing lawsuit regarding Apple’s iPhone app practices.

In 2012, a group of iPhone users filed to sue Apple, saying its App Store exclusivity was anticompetitive. Apple responded to the suit, saying that  users purchase apps from developers, and it merely rents out the space. A lower court sided with the Cupertino company, and threw the case out, but today’s decision reverses the order.

Should the legal challenge succeed, it would set a major precedent. “The obvious solution is to compel Apple to let people shop for applications wherever they want, which would open the market and help lower prices,” says Mark C. Rifkin, an attorney for the group of iPhone users. An alternative would be a cash settlement.

Source: Reuters