Musi Alleges Apple and Music Industry Colluded to Ban App from App Store
An anonymous reader has quoted a report from Ars Technica detailing the ongoing legal battle between Musi and Apple regarding the app’s removal from the App Store. The situation has been a significant point of contention for millions of music fans, with the app’s delisting being one of the most controversial app bans of the past year. Unlike the brief TikTok outage, which was temporary, the Musi app’s removal from the App Store has been an ongoing issue, prompting users to hold out hope for its return once the legal proceedings are resolved.
According to the report, Musi has stated that the removal of its app from the App Store was not in response to a complaint from YouTube but rather at the behest of Apple’s apparent music industry allies. The app argues that Apple was instructed by these allies to find a way to remove it, thereby pushing YouTube to re-open a supposedly resolved complaint. To support its claim, Musi has referenced internal emails and Apple employee testimonies that they believe substantiate the allegations of a potential conspiracy.
Apple, on the other hand, has dismissed the allegations as a ‘conspiracy theory’ and has called for sanctions against Musi, labeling the claims as ‘baseless and misleading.’ The company’s court filing asserts that the evidence ‘thoroughly disproves’ Musi’s accusation that Apple conspired to eliminate the app from the App Store for the benefit of its music industry allies. However, Musi has responded by calling Apple’s motion for sanctions ‘frivolous’ and arguing that the company is misusing the sanction rule as a ‘tactic of intimidation and harassment.’ Musi maintains that there is at least ‘some credible evidence’ to support its claim, which they have presented in their court filing.
The dispute is set to reach a critical juncture on July 30, when the court will hold a hearing to determine the motions for sanctions. While Apple is hoping to convince the court that Musi’s complaint misrepresents the facts and should be entirely dismissed, Musi is arguing that Apple’s previous attempt for sanctions was ‘baseless.’ To bolster its position, Musi has shared receipts and internal communications from Apple employees that they allege show Apple attempted to keep certain information out of the courtroom. The outcome of this hearing could have major implications for both parties and could determine the future of the app’s availability on the App Store.