Rave files antitrust lawsuit against Apple over removal of video-sharing app

Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST

SAN FRANCISCO, May 7 : Software developer Rave on Thursday filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple, alleging that the iPhone maker kicked Rave's app for shared viewing of video content off the Apple App Store after introducing a competing product called SharePlay.

Ontario, Canada-based Rave is demanding reinstatement into the App Store and "hundreds of millions of dollars" in damages, according to the complaint filed in U.S. federal court in New Jersey.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Founded in 2013, Rave makes an app that lets users watch and discuss video content together across Apple's iOS operating system, Android, Windows and Apple's Mac computers. The app remains available on Android and Windows.

CNA Games

Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time

Buzzword
Create words using the given letters

Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser

Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge

Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less

In the legal complaint, Rave alleges that Apple removed its app from the App Store in 2025 for what Apple called “dishonest or fraudulent activity.” Rave alleges that Apple's true reason for the removal was that Rave, which relied mostly on advertising revenue and therefore did not generate commission revenue for Apple from in-app purchases, competed with a similar Apple product called SharePlay that Apple introduced in 2021.

“Apple’s pretextual removal of Rave from the App Store has harmed consumers significantly by limiting choice and effectively preventing Apple customers from co-viewing and connecting with non-Apple customers,” Michael Pazaratz, CEO of Rave, said in a press release.

“Apple’s actions denied users access to a product they enjoy, disrupted the communities built on Rave and impaired Rave’s ability to compete fairly based on the strength of its product.” 

Apple has been in an antitrust dispute with "Fortnite" creator Epic Games since 2020 over its practice of charging commissions for in-app purchases that resulted in sweeping changes to Apple's business model. The U.S. Supreme Court last week sent the case back to U.S. federal court in California.

Rave also said on Thursday it has filed similar antitrust legal actions against Apple in Canada, Russia, the Netherlands and Brazil.

Newsletter

Week in Review

Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review

Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.

Sign up for our newsletters

Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox

Subscribe here

Get the CNA app

Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories

Download here

Get WhatsApp alerts

Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app

Join here