Apple emerges victorious in antitrust lawsuit regarding Venmo and Cash App fees as judge dismisses the case.

An antitrust lawsuit against Apple, filed by Venmo and Cash App customers, has been dismissed by United States District Judge Vince Chhabria. The lawsuit, initially submitted on November 17, 2023, in San Jose, accused Apple of engaging in monopolistic practices through its Apple iOS App Store. The complaint alleged that Apple hindered competitors of its Apple Pay service from introducing desirable features, such as incorporating decentralized cryptocurrency payments into their products and services. Consequently, the complainants argued that Venmo, CashApp, and other services were unable to offer competitive pricing and improved functionality to iOS users. Judge Chhabria granted Apple’s motion for dismissal on March 26, 20, stating that the complaint had several fatal issues. The plaintiffs failed to establish the antitrust actions taken by Apple and did not justify excluding competitors like Zelle from the initial complaint. The court deemed the plaintiff’s suit as speculative and based on a flawed premise. The initial complaint claimed that Apple’s terms of service on the App Store prohibited Venmo and Cash App from including cryptocurrency features in their products. However, the judge dismissed the applicability of this claim, referring to the relevant rule (Guideline 3.1.5 in the App Store T.O.S.). The plaintiffs have 21 days to submit amendments to the case, potentially compelling the court to proceed with the lawsuit before the dismissal becomes final. Nevertheless, the judge’s final remarks in the filing suggest that the odds may not be in the plaintiff’s favor.