Apple is contesting a substantial penalty imposed for App Store practices in the UK and has sought permission to take the matter to a superior judicial level. According to initial coverage from The Guardian, the company has applied for a hearing at the UK's Court of Appeal, moving the dispute up from the initial venue of the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
This development comes after a ruling in October by the tribunal, which determined that Apple had used its strong control over the App Store to impose elevated charges in an anticompetitive manner. The decision resulted in a penalty of about 1.5 billion pounds, equivalent to around 2 billion dollars, though Apple indicated from the start its intention to challenge the outcome, criticizing the tribunal's perspective on the dynamic and competitive nature of the app market. When the tribunal refused to permit an initial appeal, Apple turned to a more authoritative court in hopes of reversing the judgment.
The tech giant has not issued any public comments regarding this recent bid for escalation, but observers expect it to contest the tribunal's suggestion of reducing developer commissions to 15 to 20 percent—a figure derived from rough estimates—compared to the standard 30 percent rate. Should the penalty hold up, the 2 billion-dollar amount would be distributed to UK-based App Store customers who completed transactions from 2015 through 2024, as noted by The Guardian.