A new foundation has been set up in the Netherlands to bring a class action claim against Google and Apple for taking too much commission when selling apps.

The Big Tech Fair Play foundation says that both Apple and Google charge roughly 30% commission when they sell most paid-for apps.

But the two companies have a virtual monopoly via their iOS and Android operating systems and are asking ‘unrealistic’ amounts of money, the foundation says.

In total, Dutch consumers have paid around €1bn for apps since the Google and Apple app stores were set up and the foundation is now attempting to claim this back from the US tech giants.

‘If enough people sign up for the claim and the court agrees that we can speak for a bigger group, then we can make a claim on behalf of all the Dutch,’ foundation front man Alexander Klöpping said.

Klöpping was one of the founders of the Blendle online newspaper kiosk but sold the company in 2020.

The Dutch consumer authority ACM recently ruled that Apple could no longer refuse to accept payments for dating apps made via iDeal, which only charges commission of 3%.