Refusing to Pay Fines, Apple Appeals App Store Antitrust Lawsuit in the UK

Apple appeals against a ruling in an antitrust case in the UK (photo: dok. unsplash) 

Apple has filed an appeal to the UK Court of Appeal against a fine in an antitrust case from the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT).

This legal step was taken to overturn the CAT ruling requiring Apple to pay a fine worth billions of dollars to users. In the previous ruling, CAT stated that Apple had abused its dominant position.

CAT assessed that Apple had exploited the market through its App Store fee policy that was too high for developers and consumers. In the initial ruling, Apple was ordered to pay around 2 billion US dollars or Rp33.5 trillion.

Apple rejected the decision. According to them, CAT has a wrong view of their app ecosystem. Apple said, "(the court) has a wrong view of the growing and competitive app economy."

Apple emphasized that the cost structure currently applied is an industry standard to maintain the security and quality of the platform. Therefore, Apple wants to overturn the ruling by filing an appeal to a higher court.

If Apple is decided to still have to pay the fine, the money worth Rp. 33.5 trillion will be distributed to millions of residents in the UK. The recipients of the funds are users who make purchases on the App Store between 2015 and 2024.

This legal process is expected to take a long time as Apple continues to try to bring this case to a higher court. The final decision from the UK Court of Appeal will be the determinant of Apple's future digital business policy.