Apple and Amazon have successfully defended themselves against a mass lawsuit in the UK, which accused the tech giants of colluding to remove resellers of new Apple products from Amazon’s platform. The Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled on Tuesday that the lawsuit could not proceed.
The case was brought by consumer law academic Christine Riefa on behalf of around 36 million British consumers who had purchased Apple or Beats products. Riefa’s lawyers claimed that in 2018, Apple and Amazon conspired to block the majority of resellers of Apple and Beats-branded products from Amazon’s UK marketplace, allegedly reducing competition for these products.
Apple and Amazon argued that the lawsuit, valued at £494 million ($602 million) plus interest, was baseless and urged the tribunal to dismiss it. The tribunal agreed with the tech giants, ruling that Riefa had not demonstrated sufficient independence or robustness to represent the affected consumers. This decision was based on concerns about third-party funding for the litigation.
The refusal to certify the case was notable because the standard for certification is typically low, making it an unusual ruling in such legal matters. Neither Riefa’s legal team nor spokespeople from Apple and Amazon immediately commented on the outcome.
