Apple has lost its bid to dismiss the antitrust lawsuit filed by Cydia creator Jay Freeman. The owner of the alternative app store sued Apple in 2020, accusing it of monopolizing iOS app distribution through the App Store.
Judge Rules In Favor of Apple’s Motion to Dismiss Antitrust Lawsuit
In January 2022, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers granted Apple’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Cydia. Cydia creator Jay Freeman claimed that Apple has been monopolizing the distribution of iOS apps. Gonzales Rogers agreed with Apple on the grounds of the lawsuit being outside the statute of limitations. But, the judge also allowed Freeman to file a new complaint.
For the unfamiliar, Jay Freeman created the Cydia app store in 2008, months before Apple launched the App Store. Cydia allows users who jailbreak their iOS devices to install apps outside of the App Store. It also offers themes and other customization tricks to enhance iOS devices’ look and functionality.
Alternative App Store Cydia Files Amended Lawsuit
Reuters reported that the judge accepted the new lawsuit. According to the lawsuit, Apple’s technology updates from 2010 up to 2021 exhibited “overt” acts that harmed iOS app distributors such as Cydia. Gonzales Roger’s ruling stated that Apple’s technological updates excluded Cydia and other alternative app stores from distributing iOS apps.
Gonzales Rogers commented on Cydia’s amended lawsuit and said “to the extent plaintiff’s claims rely on Apple’s technological updates to exclude Cydia from being able to operate altogether, those claims are timely.”
Reuters also reported that Cydia’s lawsuit “seeks to open the markets for iOS app distribution and iOS app payment processing to those who wish to compete fairly with Apple, and to recover the enormous damages Apple caused Cydia.”
Judge Favors Cydia In The Amended Lawsuit
Apple has not issued a response yet to the amended lawsuit. However, in February, the company’s attorney called Cydia’s claims “time-barred” and “stale.” The attorney also urged Gonzales Rogers to dismiss the lawsuit and to bar any further effort to amend it. Obviously, she did not heed Apple’s demands as she did in the lawsuit filed by Epic Games Inc.
In the lawsuit, Gonzales Rogers ruled in favor of Apple. The case has been pending in the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Meanwhile, in the amendedd lawsuit filed by Cydia, Gonzales Rogers instructed Apple to respond by mid-June,