Amsterdam District Court has jurisdiction in representative action on behalf of Dutch App Store users
On 2 December 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that Dutch courts have jurisdiction to hear claims concerning Apple’s alleged anticompetitive conduct related to the App Store aimed at the Dutch market.
The CJEU held that the ‘place where the damage occurred’ under Article 7(2) Brussels I-bis is the virtual space of the Dutch App Store (App Store NL) and the damage can be deemed to occur across the entire territory of the Netherlands, regardless of where users were physically located when making purchases.
This ruling represents a significant step forward for collective redress regarding anticompetitive conduct in digital markets.
As a result of this judgment, the Amsterdam District Court has international and territorial jurisdiction in the collective proceedings brought by Stichting app stores claims (ASC) against Apple on behalf of all Dutch App Store users.
In these proceedings based on the Act on the Resolution of Mass Damages in Collective Action (WAMCA), ASC asserts that Apple has abused its dominant position for years. Developers were forced to distribute their apps through the App Store and use Apple's payment system. Consequently, users paid excessive commissions of up to 30% with every purchase of apps or in-app services. ASC is seeking compensation for the damage suffered on behalf of the affected users and intends to force Apple to permanently change its behaviour and comply with competition law.
ASC is represented by Hausfeld Advocaten, a law firm specialising in class actions and competition law. Hausfeld is conducting similar cases on behalf of app users in the United Kingdom and Portugal.
The judgment can be found here.