On Monday, Swiss privacy software firm Proton sued Apple in U.S. federal court, alleging the tech giant illegally monopolizes iPhone app distribution and imposes excessive developer commissions. Proton, known for its secure Proton Mail service, filed the proposed class-action lawsuit in Oakland, California, representing app developers.
The lawsuit said Apple was violating antitrust law by forcing developers to use its payment processing services and imposing a 30% commission on most transactions.
A related class action was filed, opens new tab in May against Apple by the Korean Publishers Association and several other plaintiffs. Proton said it was building on that lawsuit, and was focused on winning a court order that would force Apple to allow competing app stores and payment processors on its iOS platform.
Founded in 2014, Proton offers secure consumer-facing apps for email, calendars and other areas. The company now has more than 100 million user accounts, according to its lawsuit.
Proton’s lawsuit estimated there were millions of potential class members.
MacDailyNews Note: The case is Proton AG v. Apple, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 4:25-cv-05450.
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Proton’s website blog says this (in part):
While the suit does seek monetary damages on behalf of all developers who have been harmed in order to deter future anti-competitive behavior and provide compensation to class members harmed by Apple’s anti-competitive conduct, Proton will donate any money we receive from the lawsuit to organizations fighting for democracy and human rights so that some portion of Apple’s profits made from countries with authoritarian regimes are redirected to freedom. (Emphasis added.)