The Supreme Court has agreed to hear Apple’s appeal in an antitrust lawsuit over the App Store’s structure and fees. Reuters reported the news this morning, and it marks a major step for the case, which has been running since 2011. Bloomberg writes that the court will hear arguments within a nine-month window that starts in October.
The case, Apple vs. Pepper, argues that Apple’s App Store monopolizes the distribution of iOS apps — since the store is the only officially approved way to download an iPhone or iPad app, and Apple charges developers a significant 30 percent fee. Its plaintiffs are seeking class-action status for the lawsuit, saying that this fee has driven up the costs of apps for consumers. A lower court determined that...
