Report: Apple Seeks to Edit Wording of Chinese Court Ruling

After winning a lawsuit in China, Apple is reportedly seeking to get the court to edit the written ruling it handed down.

The tech company objects to the Supreme People’s Court’s ruling saying that Apple has a “dominant position” and that the firm’s “unfair pricing may hurt consumers,” Bloomberg reported Tuesday (July 2), citing an excerpt of the ruling it had seen.

Apple did not immediately reply to PYMNTS’ request for comment.

Asking the court to edit its ruling is an unusual move and highlights the sensitivities of Apple’s position in the Chinese smartphone market, which is the world’s largest, according to the report.

The lawsuit in which the ruling was handed down involved a dispute over the cut of revenue Apple takes from developers when it hosts their apps in its app store, the report said.

Apple faces similar challenges on this issue in the United States, Europe, South Korea and Japan and may be concerned that the Chinese court’s use of the term “dominant position” could be cited in other cases, per the report.

The company has argued that its commissions are justified because its app store provides developers with a place where they can showcase their products and gives consumers a sense of security and peace of mind about buying those products, according to the report.

The Chinese court dismissed the lawsuit in that country, saying there was not enough evidence that Apple abused its position in the market, per the report.

It was reported Monday (July 1) that Apple ended May with 11% of the Chinese smartphone market, even as iPhone sales climbed 0.9% year over year.

The company’s iPhone sales in China reportedly rebounded after falling earlier this year. Apple has offered aggressive discounts on its official Tmall site in the country, and these contributed to the turnaround.

“The brand offered the biggest-ever discounts, reaching up to RMB 2,350 (about $326) during the period to entice consumers, especially given the strong competition from Huawei in the premium segment,” global research firm Counterpoint Technology Market Research said in a June 25 press release announcing these trends.