Professor Sean Ennis, an ex-OECD senior economist at the University of East Anglia’s Centre for Competition Policy, has been named as the person bringing the class action lawsuit on behalf of over 1,500 UK-based app developers because of Apple’s “excessive” charges.

The tech giant charges some app makers on the App Store 15% to 30% in commission on in-app sales. The practice has been routinely criticised, not least by Tesla CEO Elon Musk who said that “Apple’s store is like having a 30% tax on the Internet” and that it’s “10 times higher than it should be.”

According to Techcrunch, Geradin Partners — the law business supposedly advising Professor Ennis — Apple’s commission fee being non-uniformly applied will be a particular point of focus for the suit.

“Apple’s charges to app developers are excessive, and only possible due to its monopoly on the distribution of apps onto iPhones and iPads,” said Professor Ennis in a statement to Reuters.

“The charges are unfair in their own right, and constitute abusive pricing. They harm app developers and also app buyers.”

Further, Ennis told Techcrunch that he’s “really convinced that the type of behaviour we’re talking about in this case is deeply problematic. So I was interested in taking a role to help get some redress for those who I feel have been harmed by the behaviour.”

On its commission fees, Apple has previously said that it doesn’t collect commission from more than 85% of developers that specifically sell physical goods and services or distribute free or ad-supported apps, and that the iOS app economy has supported more than 440,000 jobs across the UK.

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This reported lawsuit joins another UK claim made against Apple led by Dr Rachael Kent, a lecturer in digital economy and society education at King’s College London. Dr Kent filed the claim on behalf of 19.6 million UK consumers in 2021, alleging that Apple has breached competition law and overcharged for app purchases, seeking £1.5bn in compensation.

Dr Kent’s claim has been certified and is awaiting trial at the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched its own investigation into Apple’s conduct in relation to the distribution of apps on iOS and iPadOS devices in the UK, particularly looking at the terms and conditions governing app developers’ access to the App Store.

The CMA investigation continues to be underway.