Britain’s Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled on Monday that a consumer lawsuit against Apple and Amazon can go ahead, though not in the shape its backers wanted. Only the claims about Apple products bought through Amazon’s marketplace survived, and the three judges threw out the broader part covering products bought from Apple directly or from other retailers.
What The Two Companies Are Accused Of Doing
The case goes back to an agreement Apple and Amazon signed in 2018, which limited which sellers were allowed to list Apple and Beats products on Amazon’s UK site. Independent resellers got squeezed out, the claim says, and with fewer sellers competing the prices went up. The damages being sought run to about £306 million with interest, roughly $410 million.
Similar complaints over the same deal have already surfaced in Germany, the United States, Spain and Italy, so this isn’t a UK-only argument.
Why It Failed The First Time
Christine Riefa, a consumer law academic, brought the original version and the tribunal refused to certify it in January 2025. Two problems. The judges weren’t satisfied she could act independently enough on behalf of the class, saying a class representative can’t be a figurehead for the lawyers running the case. Then there was the funding. Under the arrangement with Asertis, the funder could have been paid before consumers saw anything, and the tribunal noted the class might have ended up with no damages at all.
What Changed To Get It Moving Again
The claim was refiled with a different name at the top. Justin Le Patourel, a consumer campaigner, replaced Riefa as the proposed representative, and that reset was enough to get the case past the certification stage this time.
On the part that got cut, the tribunal said there wasn’t enough evidence yet that the 2018 deal pushed up prices in Apple’s own stores or at other retailers. A spokesperson for Le Patourel called the ruling welcome but was open about being disappointed by what didn’t make it through.
Where Apple And Amazon Stand
Both companies reject the claim. Amazon actually welcomed the decision, since most of the case was trimmed away, and said what’s left has no merit. Apple’s position has been consistent throughout: the arrangement with Amazon was about keeping counterfeit Apple products off the marketplace, not about prices.
