U.S. top court mulls Apple's App Store commissions in antitrust case

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to take up Apple Inc’s (AAPL.O) bid to escape a lawsuit accusing it of breaking federal antitrust laws by monopolizing the market for iPhone software applications and causing consumers to pay more than they should.

The justices said they would hear Apple’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling that revived the proposed class-action lawsuit by iPhone buyers over commissions that the Cupertino, California-based technology company receives through its App Store.

The case could expand the threat of antitrust damages against companies in the rapidly growing field of electronic commerce, which generates hundreds of billions of dollars annually in U.S. retail sales.

Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham