An Apple store in Shanghai Photo: VCG

A Chinese court on Wednesday ruled that while Apple has a dominant position in the Chinese software market, it has not abused it, rejecting a Chinese consumer's lawsuit accusing the US tech giant of monopolistic practices regarding in-app purchase fees, according to media reports.

In January 2021, a Chinese consumer named Jin Xin filed a lawsuit against Apple, alleging that the company is engaging in monopolistic practices by collecting a 30 percent fee for in-app purchases. Jin demanded that Apple stop collecting the 30 percent fee and other practices.

In a first instance verdict on Wednesday, the Shanghai Intellectual Property Court ruled that Apple clearly had a dominant market position in the Chinese software market, but did not abuse its market dominance, so it rejected Jin's claim, financial news website yicai.com reported.

The plaintiff's attorney stated that he respects the judgment of the court of first instance, but will appeal the case at the Supreme People's Court, according to the report on yicai.com.

Global Times