Maker Cydia is suing Apple for App Store monopoly on iOS

The maker of Cydia, an alternative download store for iOS apps for jailbroken iPhones and iPads, has sued Apple over a monopoly on software distribution on iOS. According to the developer, Apple makes competition impossible.

SaurikIT, the company behind Cydia, wants Apple to pay compensation, according to the indictment that The Verge has put online. The developer of Cydia argues that the company has suffered economic damage from Apple’s monopoly on software distribution on iOS. Because Cydia is only available after a jailbreak, the audience is limited. If Cydia had been allowed without jailbreak from the start, there would have been competition for the App Store.

In addition, the company claims that Apple has a monopoly on payment systems for apps. The company wants a trial with a jury. Cydia has been around longer than the App Store and was available to install apps from 2007. In addition, SaurikIT claims that Apple has copied elements from Cydia.

Not only Cydia finds Apple’s monopoly over software distribution and payments on iOS problematic. A committee of the US House of Representatives has already concluded that Apple’s monopoly is problematic. Apple would use it to create barriers to competition, fend off rivals, impose high prices on app developers, and prioritize its own offerings.

The European Commission is also conducting two studies into roughly the same. Large companies such as Epic Games and Spotify, among others, are at odds with Apple about Apple’s power on iOS.