U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers on Wednesday granted Apple’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed against the company by Jay Freeman, creator of the alternative Cydia App Store for jailbroken iPhones and iPads. However, while the judge granted Apple’s motion, it was granted with a leave to amend, giving Freeman a January 19 deadline to file an amended complaint.
Freeman – one of a growing number of developers who have sued Apple for alleged anticompetitive behavior – filed suit against Apple back in late 2020, alleging that the Cupertino firm has an illegal monopoly over iOS app distribution given that the App Store is the only authorized marketplace where users can download apps on the iPhone and iPad. Freeman alleged that Apple has “consistently tried to snuff out alternative app stores.”
The Cydia app store launched several months before Apple’s launch of the official App Store. Jailbreaking an iPhone or iPhone allows users to install apps from the Cydia store, which contains apps, tweaks, and themes that normally would not be available due to App Store restrictions.
Should an amended complaint be filed by Freeman, Apple has until February 2 to respond, said Judge Gonzalez Rogers.
