Apple scores a very important ruling that, although it does not automatically set a precedent, still constitutes a victory for the management of its digital store and redefines the relationship with all those who intend to develop software for iOS. A federal court in California has indeed ruled that Cupertino can remove third-party apps from its store without having to justify the decision by providing a valid cause that the parties involved can challenge.
THE CURIOUS FUNCTIONING OF MUSI
The case in question began when the software house behind the Musi app took Cupertino to court because their music streaming software was removed in September 2024 for unspecified violations of intellectual property and service terms.
The reasons lie in the framework of the Musi application which, unlike other similar services, offers music streaming without ever having signed agreements and licenses with record labels: the musical tracks are in fact taken from YouTube and the user can create personalized playlists using the basic version, which includes advertisements, or the premium version which unlocks for a one-time payment of $5.99 and does not annoy with ad banners.
YOUTUBE AND RECORD LABELS’ ANGER
A model that, understandably, was not liked at all by either the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), and naturally not by YouTube, which felt exploited by Musi. Cupertino quickly found itself facing associations and the Google-affiliated Big Tech at its door demanding the removal of the somewhat rogue app from its virtual shelves: Apple removed the software at the end of September 2024 for violation of the service terms.
APPLE’S DECISION AND THE LAWSUIT
Following the removal, Musi promptly dragged Apple to court the following month, in October 2024, claiming that the bitten apple had removed the app based on alleged but unproven violations, simply complained about. In short, under pressure from record labels and the Google wallet platform. Musi also always stated that it does not use YouTube’s APIs, therefore it claimed it did not even violate the service terms that software houses must respect if they want to keep their place in the virtual shelves of Apple’s digital store. However, the judge assigned to the case sided with the opposing party, namely Apple, ruling that Cupertino can remove apps at any time and without providing justifications to the parties involved.
