By Adi Robertson
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear Apple's appeal in an antitrust lawsuit over the App Store's structure and fees. Reuters reported the news this morning, and it marks a major step for the case, which has been running since 2011. Bloomberg writes that the court will hear arguments within a nine-month window that starts in October.
The case, Apple v. Pepper, argues that Apple's App Store monopolizes the distribution of iOS apps since the store is the only officially approved way to download an iPhone or iPad app, and Apple charges developers a significant 30 percent fee. Its plaintiffs are seeking class action status for the lawsuit, saying that this fee has driven up the costs of apps for consumers. A lower court determined that they had no grounds to sue, but a judge overturned that decision, and the Supreme Court began seeking advice on the case late last year. Now, the court is officially taking it up.