Apple steps up appeal against $2 billion fine following UK antitrust trial

Apple is not prepared to pay a multi-billion dollar fine to UK App Store users and has filed an appeal against a major antitrust lawsuit. As first reported The guardianApple has asked to appeal to the UK Court of Appeal, which would take the case beyond the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT).

The latest appeal attempt follows a October decision of the CAT, where the court found that Apple had engaged in anti-competitive practices by exploiting its dominant position in the App Store market to charge higher fees. THE The CAT decision imposed a fine of £1.5 billion, or about $2 billion, but Apple said it plans to appeal and that the court “has a flawed view of the thriving and competitive app economy.” The CAT did not uphold Apple’s appeal, leading the iPhone maker to go to a higher court to overturn the decision.

Apple has made no official statement regarding its latest appeal request, but it is likely to object to the CAT’s proposed App Store development fee rate of between 15 and 20 percent, which it arrived at through “educated guesses,” instead of the existing 30 percent. If the fine ends up being upheld, the $2 billion fine would be split between any App Store users in the UK who made purchases between 2015 and 2024, according to The guardian.