Apple Loses Landmark UK Antitrust Lawsuit Over ‘Excessive’ App Store Fees

According to the Financial Times, Apple has lost a major antitrust class-action in the United Kingdom over its App Store practices, with the Competition Appeal Tribunal ruling on Thursday that Apple abused its dominant market position by charging developers excessive fees.

The court determined that Apple holds “near-absolute market power” in both iOS app distribution and in-app payment processing and that it had systematically exploited its dominance through “excessive and unfair pricing.” The claimants behind the class action are seeking £1.5 billion in damages to be distributed among 36 million affected UK consumers, with a follow-up hearing expected as early as next month to establish the process for calculating compensation.

The ruling, reported as of 25 October 2025, comes amid heightened regulatory tension with both the EU and UK CMA, which confirmed that Apple holds “strategic market status.” Apple said it intends to appeal the decision and argued that the App Store benefits developers and consumers and faces vigorous competition from other platforms.