Britain’s Competition Appeal Tribunal has allowed part of a revived consumer lawsuit against Apple and Amazon to proceed over allegations that the companies restricted competition in the sale of Apple and Beats products on Amazon’s UK marketplace. The lawsuit claims that a 2018 agreement between the companies limited which sellers could offer the products, potentially reducing competition and increasing prices for consumers.
The tribunal said claims involving Apple products purchased through Amazon’s marketplace were “plausible, credible and grounded in the facts,” allowing them to move forward. The claimant said the approved part of the case could be worth between £289 million ($383 million) and £306 million, including interest. However, the three-judge tribunal rejected claims concerning Apple products bought directly from Apple and other retailers, describing the theory of harm as complex and speculative.
Apple said it strongly disagreed with the allegations, arguing that its agreement with Amazon was intended to address counterfeit products on the marketplace. Amazon welcomed the ruling and said the remaining claim was without merit. The case was previously rejected when brought by consumer law academic Christine Riefa, but was later refiled with Justin Le Patourel as the proposed representative of consumers.
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