Hans Kouwenhoven / Reuters
Another lawsuit has been filed against the “Apple tax”, but this time the initiator is not a common developer but a consumer. A few days ago, the Netherlands Consumer Competition Claims Foundation said it would file a “collective claim” on behalf of all iPhone and iPad users in the European Union who have downloaded paid apps or made in-app purchases, demanding that Apple pay 5.5 billion euros in compensation for its monopoly. In their view, although Apple’s up to 30% of the commission is charged to developers, in order to ensure that developers will raise prices for profit, the final cost will eventually be passed on to consumers.
The foundation is currently calling on eligible EU users to join the lawsuit, which is expected to be heard at the District Court in Amsterdam. In the U.S. at the beginning of the year, Apple had just spent $100 million to settle a developer class-action lawsuit, and it will be interesting to see how this case involving consumers will play out. In addition to the “Apple tax”, Apple has payment options in the Netherlands that need to be resolved. The local Consumer and Markets Authority has previously fined Apple 5 million euros per week for failing to provide third-party payment solutions to dating app customers (it has now accumulated to 50 million), and Apple appears to be working on new regulations related to this. policy. In addition, looking at the entire European Union, the newly promoted “Digital Markets Act” may also pose a considerable challenge to Apple in the future.
