Apple faces £3 billion antitrust lawsuit over iCloud's dominance
UK-based consumer advocacy group Which? has filed a £3 billion lawsuit against Apple, according to The Independent. The group claims that Apple has breached competition laws by forcing its iCloud services on around 40 million customers. As per Which?, the company has been pushing its own products while also making it difficult for customers to use other options, thus stifling competition.
'Which?' accuses Apple of limiting 3rd-party data storage
The consumer group further alleges that Apple prevents customers from storing or backing up all their phone's data with a third-party provider. It also says that users of Apple's iOS operating system are forced to pay for the service when their stored data exceeds the free limit of 5GB. The lawsuit, filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal, includes these allegations in its case against the tech giant.
Apple overcharges for iCloud subscriptions
Along with the competition breach allegations, Which? also accuses Apple of overcharging users for iCloud subscriptions. The group argues that given Apple's market dominance, it is difficult for new alternatives to come up and offer competition. This, they claim, has resulted in inflated prices for iCloud services. The consumer advocacy group is seeking damages on behalf of all affected customers who have used iCloud services since October 1, 2015.
People could be owed around £70 each
Which? estimates some 40 million people could be owed an average of £70 each, depending on how long they've been paying for the service. The group has urged Apple to settle the claim without litigation by refunding consumers and allowing more choice for cloud services within its operating system. Anabel Hoult, CEO of Which?, told The Independent that "By bringing this claim, Which? is showing big corporations like Apple that they cannot rip off UK consumers without facing repercussions."
