Image Credit - Apple
UK consumer rights group Which? is the driving force behind a class-action lawsuit targeting Apple’s tight grip on cloud services for iPhone and iPad. The claim asserts that Apple compels iOS device users to purchase iCloud storage by restricting other services from integrating sufficiently with the system to back up data. Apple stated that it “disputes any claims that iCloud practices are anti-competitive.”
Damages being sought in this class action amount to about £70 per person; this figure may dramatically swing once the case goes to trial, or when a settlement is reached. It may get totally tossed out too. For More information is available at cloudclaim.co.uk.
Which? has accused Apple of abusing its dominant market position through anticompetitive behavior in effectively tying iCloud subscriptions with the use of iPhones and iPads.
It says Apple favors iCloud over other cloud storage services and prevents users from switching away from iCloud, giving Apple an opportunity to charge higher fees for iCloud than it would in a more competitive market.
You might be eligible to become a claimant in this lawsuit if you have used an iOS device with iCloud since October 2015 and are living in the UK. According to Which?, around 40 million people would be eligible, with about £3 billion in total expected damages based on the damages amount of £70 each.
Claimants will then be able to seek and apply for their share of the payout if it’s ruled against Apple. It may be several years…
There is currently a similar class-action lawsuit, over Apple’s dominance of iCloud, making its way through US courts.
