Copyright Wccftech
Apple now faces fresh legal scrutiny around its App Store policies, and that too within the overly bureaucratic Chinese legal system. Chinese Consumers File An Antitrust Complaint Against Apple's App Store Policies A group of around 55 Chinese consumers have now filed a formal antitrust complaint against Apple with China's market regulator, arguing that Apple maintains a monopoly over app distributions and payment methods in China while allowing off-App Store payments as well as third-party app stores in other markets. The complaint accuses Apple of three different violations: Forcing Chinese consumers to purchase digital goods and services exclusively through Apple's in-app payment mechanism. Charging a commission of up to 30 percent on in-app purchases. Restricting the iOS app downloads to the official App Store. This is, of course, the second such complaint filed in China in recent years. A Shanghai court dismissed a similar complaint back in 2021. Apple's Mounting Regulatory Headaches In the EU, Apple allows users to install third-party app stores on their devices, in compliance with the EU's Digital Markets Act. In the US, Apple was recently compelled by a court in the Epic case to allow access to external payment methods, and to enable the return of Epic's Fortnite app. While Apple has complied with the verdict, it still vows to charge a commission on those payments, prompting the judge in the case to call on Apple to cease doing so or face contempt proceedings, and even possible criminal charges. This situation has created a legal precedence, where consumers in other markets are also asking for similar privileges. For instance, in Australia, Epic recently asked the court to allow its apps to be sideloaded on to Apple devices without any associated commission. Given this hostile environment, coupled with the soaring US-China tensions, Apple now faces the prospects of an adverse ruling in China as well.
