Noa Moussa 1:42 p.m., August 03, 2022
Media outlets "Le Figaro", "L'Equipe" and other French mobile apps filed lawsuits against Apple on Tuesday.
They accuse the Apple brand of having violated competition law with its monopoly on the distribution of applications on the huge market represented by the iPhone.
Le Figaro
,
L'Équipe
and other applications represented by the
Le Geste
association all denounce the same thing.
It is impossible for iPhone users, who are still a billion in the world, to download an application other than on the AppStore.
A unique platform and commissions
Apple requires publishers to pay it a 30% commission whenever a customer makes a purchase.
Result: either he agrees to pay, or he draws a line under this market.
"Apple has cornered the market for the distribution of apps on iOS (...) but not because it has built the best store", argue the plaintiffs.
"Apple deliberately built a monopoly by blocking potential competition through technical means and developer contracts."
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Precedents with Epic Games
They are therefore determined to take the case to court to force Apple to change its practices.
For its part, the Californian giant, which risks having to pay substantial damages, is justified.
Allowing downloads outside the App Store would pose security risks.
But Apple is not at its first rodeo since in 2020, Epic Games, the publisher of the Fahrenheit game, filed a complaint for abuse of a dominant position.
And last year, it was South Korea that forced Apple to offer an alternative payment system.