Apple has been unsuccessful in its latest attempt to dismiss an antitrust lawsuit it faces. The suit was filed by Jay Freeman, well-known for creating Cydia — an App Store alternative for jailbroken iPhones popular in the yesteryears.
Background
Freeman sued Apple late in 2020, alleging the Big Tech company enjoys a monopolistic position in the app distribution market for iOS. He added that Apple also actively tries to “snuff out” App Store alternatives, including Cydia.
In January this year, US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers granted Apple’s motion to dismiss the Cydia creator’s lawsuit. However, Freeman was allowed to file a new complaint. Reuters reports that the court has now accepted the new submission.
New Complaint Gets Accepted
In the amended complaint, Freeman’s side argues that Apple’s technology updates between 2018 and 2021 directly harmed iPhone app distribution channels. The complainants believe Apple’s changes were “more aggressive” and designed to ensure that Cydia and other App Store alternatives don’t offer iPhone users any apps.
The suit seeks to “open the markets for iOS app distribution and iOS app payment processing to those who wish to compete fairly with Apple, and to recover the enormous damages Apple caused Cydia.” Additionally, Judge Gonzalez remarked on the lawsuit.
“To the extent plaintiff’s claims rely on Apple’s technological updates to exclude Cydia from being able to operate altogether, those claims are timely.”
The judge, who also ruled on the Apple vs. Epic Games case, has given Apple instructions to respond to Freeman’s complaint by mid-June.
[Via Reuters]
