UK tribunal lets £289m-£306m Apple-Amazon consumer claim proceed
The Competition Appeal Tribunal certified part of Justin Le Patourel's collective claim on 28 September 2026, allowing allegations over a 2018 Apple-Amazon reseller agreement worth an estimated £289m to £306m with interest, while refusing the wider claim as speculative.
The details
- Britain's Competition Appeal Tribunal handed down a Collective Proceedings Order judgment on 28 September 2026 in case 1759/7/7/25, JLP A&A Class Representative Limited v Apple Inc. and Others.
- The tribunal certified the part of the claim covering Apple and Beats-branded products bought through Amazon's UK marketplace.
- The tribunal refused to certify the wider claim covering products bought directly from Apple and from other retailers.
- Judge Kelyn Bacon said the claims relating to Amazon marketplace purchases were "plausible, credible and grounded in the facts".
- Judge Kelyn Bacon said the wider claims rested on a "complex and speculative theory of harm".
- The claimant estimates the certified portion of the case is worth between £289m and £306m, including interest.
- The claim alleges Apple and Amazon agreed in 2018 to restrict which third-party sellers could offer Apple and Beats-branded products on Amazon's UK marketplace, reducing competition and raising prices.
- The class representative is Justin Le Patourel, a former Ofcom consumer policy lead, acting through JLP A&A Class Representative Limited.
- The claim covers purchases of Apple and Beats products made from 31 October 2018.
- An earlier, largely similar claim fronted by consumer law academic Christine Riefa (case 1602/7/7/23) was refused certification in January 2025 over concerns about the proposed class representative and the litigation funding arrangements.
- Apple said it strongly disagrees with the claim and that the agreement was aimed at tackling counterfeit products on the marketplace.
- Amazon said the remaining claim is without merit and that it is confident this will become clear as the litigation proceeds.
- The tribunal has not ruled on the merits: it has not decided that Apple or Amazon breached UK competition law, that consumers paid inflated prices, or that the damages estimate is correct.
Why it matters
Certification is the gate a UK opt-out class action must clear, so this sends a challenge to brand-platform distribution deals to trial rather than ending it on paper. UK shoppers who bought Apple or Beats products on Amazon since October 2018 are in the class by default, and the judge's split ruling signals that tribunals will back claims tied to a specific sales channel while rejecting broader market-wide theories of harm.