Apple must respond to lawsuit from maker of jailbreak software Cydia

Apple will have to respond to a complaint from the maker of Cydia, an alternative download store for jailbroken iPhones and iPads. That must happen within three weeks, says a US judge.

Cydia for iOS, June 2020

The American judge gave SaurikIT, the company of jailbreak developer Saurik, partly right and that’s why the case is now running. Apple’s response must be within three weeks, so the company must have responded by mid-June.

It is an adapted version of Saurik’s first indictment against Apple. The indictment first focused on decisions by Apple that the company made around 2008 and 2009, but that was not allowed by the court. US antitrust rules require it to cover actions within the past four years. In the amended indictment, Saurik refers to actions taken by Apple since 2018.

Cydia’s developer argues that the company has suffered economic damage from Apple’s monopoly on software distribution for iOS. Because Cydia is only available after a jailbreak, the public is limited. If Cydia had been allowed without jailbreak from the start, there would have been competition for the App Store. In addition, the company claims that Apple has a monopoly on payment systems for apps. Apple has not commented on the judge’s verdict, reports Reuters†