Apple again attracts the attention of the EU antitrust which investigates the payment systems of the App Store related to streaming music.
Apple vs EU Antitrust: new battle in sight
Apple is about to face a further accusation from the EU antitrust, according to Reuters. The portal reports that at the base there would be a report from Spotify, which would deem the payment rules imposed by the Cupertino App Store unfair. The European Commission, last year, accused the company of obtaining an illegal advantage on the music streaming market through rules that oblige developers to use Apple’s payment systems on the brand’s Store. Such an imposition would prevent users from using other payment methods for subscription subscriptions.
Last month the EU agreed on the Digital Markets Act (DMA), i.e. the new rules for the technology market. According to the DMA, practices like this are illegal, and all the tech giants have been asked to adapt to the new standards. However, it will still take years for real implementation of the Digital Markets Act to begin.
“There are still two years to go to DMA. The rules are likely to apply in early 2024. This is why antitrust cases remain important, ”said attorney Damien Geradin of Geradin Partners, who is assisting several app developers in other similar cases against Apple.
The new rules provide for fines of up to 10% of their global turnover for companies that use market practices that are deemed to be unfair. In addition to the investigation into music streaming, Apple’s policies on e-books and Apple Pay would also be targeted by the EU.
In contrast, Google-owned Android allowed Spotify to use different payment systems.