Apple faces collective action lawsuit seeking compensation for 20 million UK users

Apple is facing another lawsuit, and this time it's a big collective one in the UK.

Filed on behalf of almost 20 million iPhone and iPad users, the case claims that Apple's 30 percent commission charged on App Store purchases is "excessive and unlawful" and that the company's practices breach competition law in the UK and Europe.

The case, if approved by the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), will seek damages of up to £1.5 billion, and will include around 19.6 million users eligible for compensation in the UK. 

The case is what's known as a "representative opt-out collective action," in which a claim is brought forward on behalf of a group of people without them needing to actually choose to opt in to the claim. This means anyone who has made a purchase in the UK version of the App Store since Oct. 1, 2015 — whether they've bought an app, subscribed to a service, or made an in-app purchase — will be included, and can opt-out if they choose. These purchases must have been made on iPhone or iPad devices, the claim stipulates, and doesn't include apps providing "physical goods or services that will be consumed outside of the app," like Deliveroo and Uber. Read more...