US: Apple iPhone app monopoly case dismissed

A lawsuit accusing Apple Inc. of holding a monopoly over its iPhone applications was dismissed Thursday on procedural grounds, according to reports.

US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers dismissed the case, filed in 2011, that alleged the tech giant to hold a monopoly over the applications because they are only available for purchase in the Apple App Store. But according to the judge, the plaintiffs could not legally bring the suit as they had not purchased the apps themselves. In a statement, Judge Gonzalez wrote, “At a minimum, plaintiffs must allege facts showing that each named plaintiff has personally suffered an injury-in-fact bases based on Apple’s alleged conduct.”

The plaintiffs could still amend the complaint; a lawyer for the plaintiffs, Alexander Schmidt, told reporters he would have “no difficulty” amending the case to meet requirements.

According to the original lawsuit, Apple violated antitrust laws by only allowing their iPhone apps to be bought in their App Store. Apple charges more than 30 percent of app costs to software developers and that the practice excludes rivals from an iPhone app “aftermarket.”

Full Content: Bloomberg

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