Source: Gadget Game News
As specified in previous reports, Apple failed to dismiss an amended antitrust lawsuit filed by rival app store Cydia this week. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers denied the tech giant’s motion to dismiss the case on Thursday, May 26. Currently, updates reveal that the judge gave Apple Inc 21 days to respond to refiled complaint from Cydia.
Jay Freeman, also going by the username Saurik, developer of Cydia initially filed a lawsuit against Apple in the year 2020. The complaint alleged that the tech giant had wrongfully got hold of and ‘maintained monopoly power’ in distribution and payment for iOS apps. The new complaint argues that new ‘aggressive’ changes on the App store allegedly prevented Cydia, along with other store from providing iPhones with ‘useable’ apps.
This led to third party app stores facing the deprivation of the ‘ability to compete’ with Apple’s App Store. Notably, Cydia came to the scene way before the emergence of the App Store, enabling users to locate and download third-party applications for jailbroken devices. The Cydia store was shit down by Freeman in 2018.
Other developments:
Gonzalez Rogers was the same judge who issued a mixed ruling for the antitrust case between Epic Games and Apple. She dismissed the previous lawsuit from citing the claims from Freeman to be outside the four year statute for limitation for such lawsuits.
Epic Games filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple Inc in 2020 after the removal of ‘Fortnite’. The tech giant reportedly removed the game as it offered an alternate payment option. Apparently, this option allowed Epic to somehow work around the 30% commission Apple takes from in-app purchases.
Moreover, around this time, Epic filed a similar lawsuit against Alphabet Inc’s Google which is set for trial in 2023. Additionally, the company behind dating apps Tinder, OkCupid, etc, Match Group filed a lawsuit against the search giant for its restrictions on payment on its Play Store.
Simultaneously, Apple Inc has been on the receiving end of scrutiny from government agencies too. The Netherlands went on to fine the tech giant several times for preventing Dutch dating apps from using their payment methods. Moreover, South Korea went on to pass a law requiring both Google and Apple to allow developers to make way for third-party processors.
Similarly, both, the US and EU are working to keep the power of the Big Techs in check. The EU is ready to enact the Digital Markets Act in 2023. Additionally, the US is going ahead with the Open App Markets Act made to promote competition in the filed of mobile computing.