French phone app developers take Apple to court, alleging abuse of monopoly

French software developers have taken legal action in California against Apple, accusing the computing and communications multinational of abusing its dominant market position by overcharging competitors.

Store at the centre of a storm. AP - Patrick Semansky

Developers of the mobile phone applications for the French newspaper Le Figaro and sports daily L'Equipe are among the plaintifs before the Oakland federal court in California.

Along with an association of on-line publishers, the French group allege that Apple is in violation of American competition statutes because it charges "excessively" to list competitor applications on the company's App Store.

The complaint claims that Apple took unfair advantage of its market position by imposing the company's App Store as the sole source of applications for mobile phones using the iOS operating system.

"Nothing can justify Apple's position," says the document before the court.

"Apple benefits from a deliberate, unjustifiable and anti-competition monopoly.

"The company has complete control over the distribution of iOS applications. And they have achieved this by blocking all potential competitors, either by technical means or by agreements with developers.

"These decisions were taken to make life difficult for competitors."

Apple demands a royalty of 30 percent of the sale price from the publishers of any application sold on the App Store. 

The company behind the successful video game, Fortnite, has already lost a similar case against Apple in the US, the judge deciding that it had not been proved that the phone maker was in violation of competition legislation. 

Lawyers representing the French plaintifs have asked for the latest case to be heard before a jury. They are demanding damages and interest. They have also asked for an injunction obliging Apple to suspend its commercial model.

Apple claims that the company's rigid control of the App Store is to ensure the safety of on-line payments, and the confidentiality of user data.

An estimated one billion people worldwide are users of Apple phones.