Apple Faces $6 Billion USD Lawsuit in Netherlands Over Alleged App Store Monopolistic Practices
Once again taking heat over its “Apple tax.”
Apple is now facing yet another lawsuit over the alleged monopolistic behavior regarding its App Store, this time with a roughly $6 billion USD claim attached.
The latest filing was made in the Netherlands by the Dutch Consumer Competition Claims Foundation on behalf of all consumers, taking issue with the way Apple runs its App Store with what has been dubbed the “Apple tax” in recent times. While many developers such as Epic Games have fought against the tech giant over the issue in the past, the new case marks a new extension into the realm of consumer protection, with the Foundation claiming that the increased costs were ultimately passed onto App Store users.
Claiming up to $6.1 billion USD in damages from Apple, the group is now asking consumers who have made purchases on the platform since September 2009 to join the lawsuit, which is due to be heard at the district court in Amsterdam. Most significantly, it’s also not the first time the tech giant has been penalized in the country. Back in January, Dutch regulators imposed an order on Apple requiring the company to offer third-party payment options for people using dating apps. The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets has since been fining Apple €5 million EUR (approximately $5.56 million USD) every week that the company has failed to conform with the order, and so far it has already fined €5o million EUR (approximately $55 million USD) and counting.
Elsewhere in tech, MicroStrategy has taken out a $205 million USD loan to purchase more Bitcoin.
