A UK tribunal has dismissed a mass lawsuit accusing Apple and Amazon of colluding to remove third-party resellers of Apple and Beats products from Amazon’s marketplace.
The £494 million ($602 million) case, filed on behalf of 36 million UK consumers, was struck down on Tuesday by the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
The lawsuit, filed by consumer law academic Christine Riefa on behalf of 36 million UK consumers, claimed that the two companies reached an agreement in 2018 to bar most resellers of Apple and Beats products, reducing competition. Apple and Amazon argued that the claims were baseless and sought to prevent the case from proceeding.
The tribunal ruled that the case could not move forward due to concerns about Riefa’s ability to represent the claimant class, citing a lack of “sufficient independence or robustness” related to third-party litigation funding.
While the tribunal’s refusal to certify the case is notable given the typically low threshold for certification, neither Riefa’s legal team nor representatives from Apple and Amazon provided immediate comments on the decision. The ruling effectively halts the litigation at an early stage, preserving the companies’ legal positions.
