Apple and Amazon avoid UK lawsuit over reseller dispute
Tribunal blocks UK lawsuit accusing Apple and Amazon of limiting competition.
Apple and Amazon have successfully defeated a UK lawsuit accusing them of colluding to remove resellers of Apple products from Amazon’s platform. The Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled on Tuesday that the case, valued at £494 million, could not proceed.
Consumer law expert Christine Riefa had filed the lawsuit on behalf of around 36 million British consumers who purchased Apple or Beats products. Her legal team alleged the companies agreed in 2018 to block most resellers from Amazon’s UK marketplace, limiting competition for those products.
The tribunal rejected the case, citing Riefa’s failure to prove sufficient independence and robustness to represent the claimant class, particularly concerning third-party litigation funding. Apple and Amazon had previously argued the lawsuit lacked merit and requested its dismissal.
Riefa’s legal team and representatives for Apple and Amazon did not respond to requests for comment following the tribunal’s decision.