Apple is being sued for nearly £800m by mobile app developers who claim the iPhone maker’s App Store is an unfair “monopoly”.

The class action-style lawsuit is seeking more than $1bn (£780m) in damages on behalf of 1,500 UK mobile app developers.

Led by competition law expert Sean Ennis, the developers say Apple’s 30pc commission on all payments made through its App Store amounts to “abusive pricing”.

The new case mirrors a similar UK legal claim seeking £1.5bn damages from Apple on behalf of consumers.

That case, brought by competition law expert Rachael Kent, is ongoing and is contested by Apple.

The Californian tech company has previously said 85pc of developers offering apps through the App Store do not pay any commission.

Mr Ennis, who is bringing the case in London’s Competition Appeal Tribunal, said: “Apple’s charges to app developers are excessive, and only possible due to its monopoly on the distribution of apps onto iPhones and iPads.”

Apple’s fees have faced repeated criticism and legal challenges in recent years. The iPhone maker was involved in a long-running legal spat with Epic Games, the owner of the popular title Fortnite, over the changes and Elon Musk last year described Apple’s levy as “a 30pc tax on the internet”.