Tribunal ruled that Apple had abused its dominant position by shutting out competition and charging excessive prices.
Published On 23 Oct 2025
Apple has abused its dominant position by charging app developers unfair commissions, a London tribunal has ruled, in a blow that could leave the United States tech company on the hook for hundreds of millions of pounds in damages.
On Thursday, the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) ruled against Apple after a trial of the lawsuit, which was brought on behalf of millions of iPhone and iPad users in the United Kingdom.
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The CAT ruled that Apple had abused its dominant position from October 2015 until the end of 2020 by shutting out competition in the app distribution market and by “charging excessive and unfair prices” as commission to developers.
Apple – which has faced mounting pressure from regulators in the US and Europe over the fees it charges developers – said it would appeal against the ruling, which it said “takes a flawed view of the thriving and competitive app economy”.
The case had been valued at around 1.5 billion pounds ($2bn) by those who brought it. A hearing next month will decide how damages are calculated and Apple’s application for permission to appeal.
Thursday’s ruling comes after Apple was hit with a complaint to European antitrust regulators over the terms and conditions of its App Store under rules aimed at reining in Big Tech.
‘Exorbitant profits’
Rachael Kent, the British academic who brought the case, arg