Proton sues Apple for anti-competitive practices

Proton has sued Apple for its anti-competitive practices ( PDF ), joining a group of developers aiming to launch a class action lawsuit in the United States. The Swiss software house accuses the Californian company of having exploited its dominant position in the smartphone market to obtain a monopoly on the distribution of apps and payment methods.

Proton vs Apple

Proton points out that App Store rules have been deemed anti-competitive in several countries. The European Commission fined it €500 million for violating the Digital Markets Act, while in the United States it failed to enforce an injunction on the anti-steering clause.

Proton is not only asking for damages, but also for profound changes to the Apple store to restore competition. According to the Swiss software house, the Cupertino company's practices are a clear violation of US antitrust law (similar accusations have come from the Department of Justice).

The long post published on the official blog lists the main restrictions of the App Store. All developers must pay an annual fee of 99 dollars and 30% of the amount spent by users for in-app purchases. According to Proton, the rules of the store benefit companies that use user data in exchange for free services, while damaging companies that earn money from subscriptions and not from user data.

Proton also claims that tight control over app distribution allows Apple to decide which apps to remove or censor in order to continue making profits in repressive countries like China and Russia. The App Store rules also worsen the user experience.

Developers cannot link to external site pages (not only the payment page, but also FAQ and support pages). Users cannot manage subscriptions across multiple devices. For example, if you subscribe on an iPhone, you cannot change it on a PC via browser.

Proton also cites auto-preference and lack of interoperability. Proton Calendar cannot be set as the default calendar on iOS instead of Apple's app, while Proton Drive cannot take advantage of background processing like iCloud. The software house finally emphasizes that the 30% commission is equivalent to a tax or duty on online commerce, as it is passed on to end users. Without Apple's monopoly, there will be lower prices.