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Australia: Federal Court of Australia issued ruling against Apple over alleged misuse of market power in application payment services and distribution methods

Policy overview

Description

Federal Court of Australia issued ruling against Apple over alleged misuse of market power in application payment services and distribution methods

On 12 August 2025, the Federal Court of Australia issued a ruling against Apple, finding that it contravened section 46 of the Competition and Consumer Act by misusing market power in iPhone Operating System (iOS) application (app) distribution and …

Scope

Policy Area
Competition
Policy Instrument
Unilateral conduct regulation
Regulated Economic Activity
software provider: app stores
Implementation Level
national
Government Branch
judiciary
Government Body
court

Complete timeline of this policy change

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2020-11-16
under deliberation

On November 16, 2020, Epic Games Inc filed a complaint against Apple Inc regarding alleged monopoly…

2021-04-09
under deliberation

On April 9, 2021, the Federal Court of Australia approved Apple's stay application, by ordering a t…

2021-07-09
under appeal

After Apple Inc filed a complaint that the claim was inappropriate, since it was already before a U…

2021-12-02
in force

On 2 December 2021, the High Court of Australia dismissed an appeal by Apple Inc regarding the Fede…

2025-08-12
in force

On 12 August 2025, the Federal Court of Australia issued a ruling against Apple, finding that it co…

2026-04-21
in force

On 21 April 2026, the Federal Court of Australia granted the Australian Competition and Consumer Co…