China court rules in favour of Apple in case involving controversial app store fees
- Apple did not abuse power and has not charged unfairly high commission fees, according to the Shanghai Intellectual Property Court
- Apple’s App Store practices have recently drawn intensified antitrust scrutiny from global regulators
A court in Shanghai rejected a Chinese consumer’s claim that Apple was abusing its market dominance with high iOS App Store fees, marking a win for the US technology giant as it faces increased antitrust scrutiny around the world.
While Apple has the dominant market position in terms of iOS app distribution in mainland China, it did not abuse that power and has not charged unfairly high commission fees, according to a judgment made on Wednesday by the Shanghai Intellectual Property Court.
The lawsuit was filed in 2021 by an individual named Jin Xin, who claimed to have had to pay more for some app membership fees on an iPhone than on Android phones because of the 30 per cent commission Apple charges app developers.
The Shanghai court said that after comparing commission fees on app stores, it did not find Apple’s to be “significantly higher” than those on Android platforms, and that there is no evidence suggesting that the fees directly led to higher prices for consumers, according to its yet to be published judgment obtained by the South China Morning Post.
Apple’s App Store practices have long been the subject of complaints from app makers, and have recently drawn intensified antitrust scrutiny from global regulators.