Europe has launched its third class action lawsuit against Apple

The third class action lawsuit against Apple in Europe has been filed, with Italy's Altroconsumo consumer protection agency seeking compensation for some iPhone 6 models that were subject to a program called "planned obsolescence." The lawsuit concerns speed limits that Apple applied to affected iPhones several years ago.

Previously, Apple was facing class action lawsuits in several EU countries due to the "iPhone battery door" incident, and was being claimed for approximately 180 million euros (approximately 217 million US dollars).

The class action lawsuit in Italy seeks €60 million in damages - based on an average of at least €60 per iPhone user. The affected devices in the lawsuit are the iPhone 6, 6S, 6 Plus and 6S Plus. The lawsuit is the third to be filed in Europe, following suits filed last month in Belgium and Spain, with Portugal likely to become the fourth.

The tech giant settled similar charges in the US last year - it was accused of deliberately slowing down the performance of older iPhones to encourage customers to buy newer models or new batteries - and ended up paying $500 million, or about $25 per phone, to settle the case (while denying any wrongdoing).

"When consumers buy an Apple iPhone, they expect a sustainable, premium product. Unfortunately, this was not the case with the iPhone 6 series. Not only were consumers defrauded, but they had to deal with frustration and financial harm, and from an environmental perspective it was also completely irresponsible," Els Bruggeman, head of policy and enforcement at Euroconsumers, said in a statement.

"This new lawsuit is the latest front in our fight against planned obsolescence in Europe. Our demands are simple. American consumers have been compensated, and European consumers expect the same fairness and respect."

Almost a year ago, the company was fined €25 million by France’s competition watchdog for an iOS update that limited the performance of aging devices. It was also required to display a statement about the action on its website for a month.