Apple Faces €637 Million Dutch Antitrust Lawsuit Over App Store Monopoly—EU Court Greenlights Battle

Europe turns up the heat on Big Tech—again.

The EU's lower court just handed Dutch plaintiffs a loaded gun: permission to sue Apple for a staggering €637 million in antitrust damages tied to its App Store policies. No more 'walled garden' excuses—this is about cold, hard cash and market dominance.

The Backstory:

Developers and regulators have long accused Apple of squeezing 30% commissions and stifling competition through its iOS ecosystem. Now, the Netherlands—home to fintech giants and crypto rebels—is leading the charge for restitution.

Why It Matters:

Another brick in the antitrust avalanche hitting Silicon Valley. If this succeeds, expect a flood of copycat lawsuits—and maybe even a dip in Apple's stock (though let's be real, their lawyers budget more for espresso than most startups raise in seed rounds).

The Bottom Line:

Tech's 'tax man' might finally be getting a bill of its own. Meanwhile, crypto devs smirk from their decentralized app stores—where the only gatekeeper is code.

Dutch court allowed to proceed after Apple challenged jurisdiction

Apple had tried to block the case by arguing that Dutch courts had no right to handle it. The company said the alleged harm didn’t happen in the Netherlands. But the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) completely rejected that.

The judges ruled that since the App Store is localized for Dutch users, using the Dutch language and linking to Dutch Apple IDs, the impact was tied directly to the Netherlands.

“The damage allegedly suffered when purchases are made in that VIRTUAL space can therefore occur in that territory, irrespective of the place where the users concerned were situated at the time of the purchase,” the judges said.

That statement confirmed that territorial jurisdiction belonged to the Dutch court, and that international jurisdiction was valid, too.

The two consumer foundations behind the case accuse Apple of abusing its dominant position and charging app makers excessive fees, which they claim was illegal. They say those fees were passed down to users, which inflated prices for millions of Dutch customers.

The CJEU’s ruling came after a Dutch court asked the Luxembourg-based court for clarity on whether such a damages claim could go forward.

Now that the green light has been given, the full hearing on the substance of the lawsuit is expected to take place in the Netherlands by Q1 2026, according to Rogier.

If the Dutch court sides with the foundations, it could result in one of the biggest damages payouts Apple has ever faced in Europe.

The lawsuit is now locked in, and Apple will have to defend its App Store fee model in front of a Dutch judge.

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