L’Dutch antitrust has warned Apple to make changes to in-app payment systems. As reported by Reuters, in fact, the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets would have asked the Cupertino company to intervene to avoid an accusation of abuse of power on the AppStore. At the moment, there is no fine for Apple but the official request by the Authority could be the first step for a more complex procedure.
Apple comes under investigation by the Dutch Antitrust
New legal issues are on the way for Apple. The Spayment system in the app, which provides commissions between 15% and 30% on the user’s total expenditure, it came under the magnifying glass of the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets. Following an investigation launched in 2019, the authority spotted Apple’s review in-app purchases. In fact, in the future, they could be measures linked to the alleged abuse of a dominant position.
What’s new coming for the future?
Following the lawsuit against Epic, in the past few weeks, Apple has accepted the possibility for developers to enter external links, within the app, for purchases. As for the in-app payments, instead, there have been no changes to the system that has been consolidated for years. The decision of the Dutch authority represents a further headache for Apple which, in the near future, could find itself fighting more legal battles to protect the payment system of its store. Further updates on the issue will certainly arrive over the next few weeks.