Cydia files antitrust lawsuit against Apple

A new lawsuit brought by one of Apple's oldest foes seeks to force the iPhone maker to allow alternatives to the App Store, the latest in a growing number of cases that aim to curb the tech giant's power.

The lawsuit was filed on Thursday by the maker of Cydia, a once-popular app store for the iPhone that launched in 2007, before Apple created its own version. The lawsuit alleges that Apple used anti-competitive means to nearly destroy Cydia, clearing the way for the App Store, which Cydia's attorneys say has a monopoly over software distribution on iOS, Apple's mobile operating system.

Were it not for Apple's anticompetitive acquisition and maintenance of an illegal monopoly over iOS app distribution, users today would actually be able to choose how and where to locate and obtain iOS apps, and developers would be able to use the iOS app distributor of their choice," the lawsuit alleges.

Apple will fight lawsuits like this all the way to the Supreme Court if it has to, but I think there's no saving this one. Eventually, somewhere, either in the US, EU, Japan, or even China, some regulator or court will demand the end of the App Store monopoly, and once the wall's been breached in one jurisdiction, it will benefit the rest of the world.