Apple has begun paying out a $100 million settlement to chosen App Store developers as part of the lawsuit Cameron et al v. Apple Inc., which claimed that they maintained a monopoly on the supply of iOS apps and in-app purchases. A “Small Developer Assistance Fund” was how they referred to the compensation they paid. Apple promised developers who met certain criteria a payment of $250 to $30,000 based on their cumulative App Store earnings, while some developers may receive more than that because they did not submit a claim.
Apple Has Multiple Lawsuits
It is important to note that only U.S. developers who made less than $1 million annually from the App Store between June 4, 2015, and April 26, 2021, and who filed a claim by the May 20, 2022 deadline will be compensated.
Around 67,000 developers might have filed a claim, according to the papers filed in court. The total number of submitted claims is unknown.
However, the deal does not constitute an acknowledgment of wrongdoing on Apple’s part, and the corporation has rejected all of the charges. Developers who receive payments out of the settlement can no longer file individual lawsuits against them for the same allegations presented in the class action complaint, including claims that they were overcharged by them as a result of the App Store’s price structure.
In 2019, a group of iOS developers filed a lawsuit against Apple, accusing the company of leveraging its App Store monopoly to impose “profit-killing” commissions. In response to the lawsuit, Apple announced in late 2020 that its App Store would reduce its regular 30% fee for App Store purchases to 15% for small developers as part of its Small Business Program.
As part of the agreement, Apple also revised the guidelines for reviewing apps submitted to the App Store, allowing developers to utilize email and other non-in-app channels to educate users about payment options beyond those built into iOS apps. Between July 25, 2009, and August 10, 2015, over 15,000 California workers were sued after being subjected to unpaid bag searches during their time off.