The court accepted Apple's contention that the CMA's decision was "ultra vires because it was outside the statutory time-limits" stipulated in the Enterprise Act 2002. "The deadline for a notice of a proposed market investigation reference was 15 December 2021, whereas the CMA published its proposal on 10 June 2022, and the deadline for the period of consultation to begin was 15 December 2021, whereas the CMA commenced its consultation on 10 June 2022. This means the Decision lacks the statutory pre-requisites for a valid decision, was ultra vires, and must be quashed," the court explained.