Apple, Amazon face revived UK consumer lawsuit over product sales

The Competition Appeal Tribunal in Britain has allowed part of a consumer lawsuit against Apple and Amazon to proceed. The claim alleges the tech giants colluded in 2018 to restrict sellers from offering Apple and Beats-branded products on Amazon's UK marketplace. This alleged agreement, if true, allegedly limited competition, leading to inflated prices for consumers.

A three-judge tribunal ruled that claims regarding Apple products bought through Amazon's marketplace are plausible, credible, and grounded in the facts. However, the tribunal rejected broader claims involving products bought directly from Apple and other retailers due to their reliance on a complex and speculative theory of harm.

The potential damages in the allowed claims could reach £289 million to £306 million, including interest, according to the claimant. The case was initially dismissed last year due to concerns about the proposed class representative and litigation funding arrangements. It was subsequently refiled by Justin Le Patourel, who replaced Christine Riefa as the proposed representative of consumers.

The tribunal acknowledged a realistic basis for arguing that restrictions on resellers could have resulted in higher prices for consumers purchasing Apple products through Amazon. However, they concluded there was insufficient evidence to support claims that the alleged conduct also raised prices for Apple products sold through Apple's own stores or by other retailers.