Swiss privacy tech firm Proton sues Apple in US over app store rules

By Mike Scarcella

June 30 (Reuters) - Swiss privacy software company Proton on Monday sued Apple AAPL.O in U.S. federal court, accusing the technology giant of maintaining an illegal stranglehold on iPhone app distribution and charging excessive commissions to app developers.

Proton, which provides the secure email service Proton Mail, filed the proposed class action in the federal court in Oakland, California, on behalf of app developers.

The lawsuit said Apple was violating antitrust law by forcing developers to use its payment processing services and imposing a 30% commission on most transactions.

A related class action was filed in May against Apple by the Korean Publishers Association and several other plaintiffs. Proton said it was building on that lawsuit, and was focused on winning a court order that would force Apple to allow competing app stores and payment processors on its iOS platform.

In a statement, Proton said it sued Apple “to set an important precedent that free people, not monopolies, will dictate the future of the internet.”

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Founded in 2014, Proton offers secure consumer-facing apps for email, calendars and other areas. The company now has more than 100 million user accounts, according to its lawsuit.

Proton’s lawsuit estimated there were millions of potential class members.

Apple faces other antitrust lawsuits, including one filed by the U.S. Justice Department accusing the company of monopolizing the smartphone market. Apple has denied the claims and asked a judge to dismiss the case.

The case is Proton AG v. Apple, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 4:25-cv-05450.

For plaintiff: Sam Stake of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and Michael Eisenkraft of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll

For defendant: No appearance yet

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