The court dismissed a class action lawsuit against Apple that accused the company of creating a “closed ecosystem of applications and services” and therefore engaging in anti-competitive practices that, according to the plaintiffs, ultimately leads to inflated iPhone prices for consumers.
According to 9to5mac, citing Reuters, the lawsuit was filed after Apple opened the possibility of using third-party browser engines on the iPhone in the European Union in January of this year. The plaintiffs alleged that Apple “engages in anticompetitive behavior through agreements with browsers that prevent other applications from entering the market.”
The statement said that the use of the WebKit engine in iOS limits the functionality of web applications. According to the plaintiffs, this restriction prevents the development of progressive web applications (PWA) and ensures that other browsers, such as Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, operate as alternative versions of Safari rather than independent browsers.
However, Apple categorically denied these allegations in its response to the lawsuit: “Apple’s prices are not artificially high, but are competitive with the intense competition the company faces from other major technology manufacturers.”
This decision was another victory for Apple in a series of lawsuits related to accusations of monopolizing the market for mobile applications and services. The company continues to defend its position, arguing that its practices are aimed at ensuring a safe and quality user experience, and not at limiting competition.
US Federal Judge Richard Seeborg, dismissing the lawsuit against Apple, concluded that the plaintiffs “have no antitrust basis for their claims.”