Apple announced Thursday evening that it had reached a $100m settlement with U.S. developers. This settlement will be subject to court approval. The class action lawsuit was brought by U.S. developers alleging that Apple holds a monopoly over the distribution and purchase of iOS apps.
Apple would pay certain U.S. developers as part of the settlement.
Who is eligible to receive a payment from Apple
According to law firm Hagens Berman, which brought the lawsuit against Apple in 2019, the class includes any current or former U.S. developer of an iOS app that earned less than $1 million through the U.S. App Store in paid downloads and/or in-app purchases/subscriptions per calendar year between June 4, 2015 and April 26, 2021.
How do I file a claim from Apple for a payment?
Eligible developers will be able to submit a claim through the website SmallAppDeveloperAssistance.com once the settlement has received court approval.
What is the best way to submit a claim from Apple for a payment?
Developers can sign up on SmallAppDeveloperAssistance.com to be notified when the site launches. Although no specific timeframe was provided, Hagens Berman, a law firm, suggested that claims should be submitted within 45 days of approval by the court. Developers would then have 120 days to file a claim.
What is the Apple payment?
Based on the total App Store earnings between June 4, 2015. and April 26, 2021 (as shown in the settlement filing), eligible developers can receive payments of $250 to $30,000 from Apple.
Hagens Berman says that a 100% claim rate is unlikely, which means that not all developers who are eligible for Apple payments will be able to file. According to the law firm, the minimum payment amounts will rise proportionally so that Apple may eventually pay more developers.
According to the settlement filing, any funds left over after developers submitted claims would be sent to Girls Who Code. This non-profit organization works to close the gender gap between programming and computer science.
Why did Apple agree?
The settlement filing states that class members who don't opt out "expressly accept the appropriateness" of Apple's commission structure for the App Store, which includes the Small Business Program. Class members also release their claims against Apple, including any claim that they were "overcharged" by virtue of Apple's commission on paid app downloads and/or in-app purchases/subscriptions through the App Store.
Can I withdraw from the settlement?
Yes. Yes. Developers who choose to opt out of the class-action lawsuit will not be eligible in any way for Apple payments, but they will still have the right to sue Apple for any claims made. Developers can contact Hagens Berman for more information.
Where can I find more information about the lawsuit
Cameron et al v. Apple Inc. was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on June 2019. The case was supervised by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. You can access the original complaint on CourtListener. More details are available at Hagens Berman.
