According to the latest reports, the settlement plan shows that at least 30% of the $100 million developer fund set up by Apple to resolve class actions will be used to pay attorney fees. Apple announced a settlement agreement on Thursday, which will resolve a class-action lawsuit filed by a US developer group. In addition to changing the App Store policy, the settlement agreement will also provide small developers with $100 million in financial support.
Depending on the size and history of the App Store, developers can get $2.5 to $30,000 from the fund. Hagens Berman, the law firm representing the plaintiff, will receive a much larger share than any single application manufacturer. The settlement agreement states that the plaintiff will demand up to $30 million in legal fees to be paid by the Small Developer Assistance Fund.
The settlement plan reads: The compensation of 30 million U.S. dollars is also the highest amount requested by the plaintiff, which is equivalent to 30% of the small developer assistance fund. Even if we only look at monetary assistance, such a request is reasonable.
According to the settlement plan, the standard practice is to use 30% of the mutual fund to pay legal fees and litigation fees. It believes that the 30% fee is the lowest limit of the standard range, and the settlement agreement also provides substantial non-monetary relief for class actions.
Angelion Group, the administrator of the settlement plan, estimates that the claim rate is about 35%. If so many developers file a claim, then the agreement will state that the minimum payment amount for the group members will “proportionally increase at each level.”
In the initial lawsuit filed in 2019, Apple listed the 30% share of apps and in-app purchases as one of the ways that iPhone manufacturers abuse their power. Of course, the settlement agreement has not yet been approved by the court. There may be changes between now and the court’s approval.
In addition to the small developer assistance fund, Apple has also cancelled some reversal regulations and promised to keep certain App Store policies and projects-such as small business projects-unchanged for at least three years.
