Court Dismisses Complaint from User, Rules Apple’s iCloud Terms to be Clear
Apple has emerged victorious in a court battle over its iCloud storage program following a California court’s dismissal of a lawsuit that alleged the company misled consumers. The plaintiff was a user who complained that Apple’s 200GB iCloud plan was marketed to make her believe she would get a combined 205GB—200GB paid and the 5GB free tier.
The plaintiff, Lisa Bodenburg, claimed Apple’s use of the term “additional” was misleading and brought the case as a possible class-action. But U.S. District Judge James Donato did not agree, finding Apple’s terms unambiguous and not to support the false advertising claim.
User Was Expecting 205GB, But Got Only 200GB
Bodenburg had signed up for the 200GB iCloud plan, thinking it would build on top of the complimentary 5GB Apple offers all users. Rather, as with all iCloud upgrades, the 200GB was her new overall storage. Bodenburg claimed that Apple’s marketing caused her to mistakenly assume differently and pursued damages on behalf of others who might have been similarly misled.
But Judge Donato wrote that Apple makes it very clear how its levels of storage operate. The court pointed out that Apple’s site and support materials state that buying a paid iCloud plan substitutes for the free one, not adds to it. The court also underscored that no reasonable consumer could be confused into believing “additional storage” means the free and paid plans are added together.
Another Cloud-Based Lawsuit Still Pending
Though this specific case has been thrown out, Apple is currently under another lawsuit over its iCloud. That lawsuit claims that the firm unjustly limits third-party cloud services on iPhones and iPads and could push customers to use iCloud more.
For the moment, Apple has gained a court victory upholding the manner in which it advertises and offers its iCloud storage options. The ruling emphasizes that customers must be reading service contracts, particularly where they are made public and well-written. This ruling should assist Apple in subsequent battles for online service disclosure, particularly as more people rely on cloud storage for their photos, documents, and backups.
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