Apple Faces New Class-Action Lawsuit for Alleged App Store Policy Violations

Apple is facing a new class-action lawsuit alleging that the company violated an injunction related to App Store policies. The lawsuit, filed by law firm Hagens Berman on behalf of Pure Sweat Basketball Inc., claims that Apple penalized developers who attempted to use linked payments, making it economically unviable for them to do so. This comes after a recent court ruling that barred Apple from charging commissions or interfering with developers' ability to direct customers to external payment methods.

The lawsuit estimates that more than 100,000 app developers were affected by Apple's non-compliance with the injunction. According to the complaint, only 34 developers have applied to offer linked-out payments, representing a mere 0.025% of the 136,000 developers on the App Store.

Hagens Berman has previously led successful class-action lawsuits against Apple, including one that resulted in a $100 million settlement for small developers and another for $560 million related to Apple Books price-fixing. The firm is encouraging any iOS app developers who sold in-app digital products after January 16, 2024, to consider their rights to reimbursement.

Apple has filed an appeal against the recent ruling and updated its App Store Guidelines to comply with the injunction.