Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) lost a case in the European Union's highest court and is facing the threat of a class-action lawsuit.

The European Union's highest court ruled that users of Apple Inc.'s app store (AAPL.US) can file class action lawsuits in the Netherlands for alleged antitrust behavior, regardless of where they are located. This increases the risk of Apple Inc. facing more collective lawsuits for damages claims in the European Union. EU judges stated that the Amsterdam court has the authority to hear the initial claims brought by consumer rights foundations Stichting Right to Consumer Justice and Stichting App Stores. These allegations are related to the high commission of up to 30% charged by Apple Inc.'s app store, which is deemed to be anti-competitive. In a preliminary ruling statement released on Tuesday in Luxembourg, the EU court stated: "Dutch courts have jurisdiction to hear representative actions brought against Apple Inc. for alleged anti-competitive conduct in its app store targeted at the Dutch market." Apple Inc., headquartered in Cupertino, California, had previously argued that the Dutch court did not have jurisdiction in this case because the alleged infringement did not occur in the Netherlands, especially not in Amsterdam. Apple Inc. declined to comment on the ruling.