Ontario, Canada-based software developer Rave has sued Apple on antitrust grounds after the iPhone maker banned its app from the App Store in August of last year, saying Apple did so because it wasn’t earning commission fees from Rave and to promote a competing Apple product.
In addition to blocking the Rave app on iPhones, Apple also labelled it as malware on Mac computers, Rave said.
The developer said Apple cited “unspecified allegations of fraud and vague concerns about content moderation” in banning the app.
Competition
Rave’s lawsuit was filed in US federal court in New Jersey as well as Canada, Brazil, the Netherlands and Russia. The company is aiming to have Apple reintroduce its app on iOS and macOS and recover damages related to its removal from the App Store.
Rave claimed in a statement that Apple’s real motive was to promote its own SharePlay app, which, like Rave, allows users to watch movies and TV shows together. SharePlay was introduced in 2021.
The developer, founded in 2013, said that in addition, since Rave relies mostly on advertising revenue, it did not generate in-app purchase commissions for Apple.
While Rave operates across platforms, SharePlay is only available on Apple devices.
The company said Rave remains available on Android and Windows devices.
Antitrust claim
However, users indicated on social media that as recently last month, Rave was generating security alerts from Google Play.
Users reported that Rave has generated similar alerts in the past from security providers such as ESET due to suspicious activity such as running in the background when not in use, and accessing unwanted or suspicious URLs.
In the past, users have complained that Rave’s forums for discussing co-watch material were unmoderated, potentially allowing the spread of harmful materials.
The company said in a statement that it now has effective content-moderation and age-verification tools.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
