Ontario startup also pursuing legal action in the US, Brazil, the Netherlands, and Russia.<\/p>\n
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A 12-person Canadian startup is taking on US tech giant Apple in legal fights across the globe for alleged antitrust violations after Apple removed its video-sharing app from the App Store.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hamilton, Ont.-based Rave, the maker of a social streaming app that allows users to sync video streaming to remotely watch movies or TV shows together, says its app was removed from the App Store in 2025 and blocked on Apple operating systems. In a legal filing, Rave claimed that Apple\u2019s actions have \u201cdevastated\u201d its business, and it does not expect to survive without access to Apple users.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re one of the largest companies in the world, and we\u2019re a family-owned, 12 person company from Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n
To try to reinstate its app, Rave filed a leave application with Canada\u2019s Competition Tribunal on May 7. If it\u2019s approved, the application would allow Rave to bring a legal case against Apple in Canada. Rave is also pursuing an antitrust suit in the US and legal proceedings in the Netherlands, Brazil, and Russia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The company says Apple\u2019s removal of its video-sharing app from the App Store, as well as its decision to tag Rave as malware on iOS operating systems, constitutes anticompetitive behaviour.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rave is seeking an interim and permanent order restoring its app to Apple\u2019s operating systems, plus monetary damages of $25 million, in addition to triple the value of how much Apple made from this \u201canticompetitive practice.\u201d Rave claims that Apple has breached sections 75 and 79 of Canada\u2019s Competition Act. These sections govern abuse and market dominance provisions, as well as refusals to sell to other businesses. Its claims have not yet been proven in court.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rave CEO Michael Pazaratz said in a statement that the removal of Rave from the App Store \u201chas harmed consumers significantly by limiting choice and effectively preventing Apple customers from co-viewing and connecting with non-Apple customers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In a statement to Reuters<\/a>, Apple rejected what it called Rave\u2019s \u201cbaseless allegations,\u201d and explained that it removed the Rave app after \u201crepeated guideline violations.\u201d According to Apple, this included violations such as hosting and sharing pornographic and pirated content, and user \u2060complaints regarding child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Apple says it communicated these complaints to Rave developers multiple times. Posts on Reddit indicate some Rave users have publicly complained about what they describe as inappropriate material within the app and lax moderation. BetaKit has reached out to Apple but did not hear back by press time.\u00a0<\/p>\n In response, a Rave spokesperson called Apple\u2019s allegations \u201cbaseless and extraordinary,\u201d adding that Rave has \u201czero tolerance for unlawful or exploitative content and has developed industry-leading content moderation and age verification technologies that are far superior to comparable apps that remain on the App Store.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Rave pointed to its online safety page, which notes that it uses machine learning to flag CSAM and violent imagery, as well as manual review. Rave\u2019s US antitrust complaint states that other apps still available on Apple\u2019s App Store include Roblox. Roblox has been sued nearly 150<\/a> <\/a>times<\/a> over claims that it has served as a pathway for child exploitation. Some of those claims have been settled, while others are winding their way through the courts. Roblox has said that it rejects the allegations<\/a>, and that it takes swift action against those who violate the platform\u2019s rules.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n