Apple could be the target of a 500 million euro ($538 million) fine from the European Commission; The regulator is expected to impose the penalty following an antitrust investigation into how Apple Music treats its rivals. The European Commission is investigating whether Apple violated antitrust laws following a complaint filed by Spotify in 2019, which resulted in an investigation launched in 2020. Nearly four years later, the European Commission is allegedly preparing to impose fines.
Fines against Apple announced
The Financial Times reported that the Commission is expected to announce fines against Apple in early March, according to five people with knowledge of the investigation. The fine, thought to amount to €500 million, will allegedly be accompanied by a ruling that Apple has breached EU law with anti-referral rules in the App Store.
As part of the ruling and fine, Apple also faces a ban on music streaming services from advising customers that they can get a better deal elsewhere outside of the App Store and the In-App Purchase system. These are apparently called unfair trading conditions by the EU. The report’s wording suggests that the ban will be limited to streaming services only, and Apple could potentially apply them to other types of apps.