According to a preliminary opinion published Monday June 24 by the European Commission, its App Store application store is accused of anti-competitive practices. The Californian group could be forced to pay a heavy fine for non-compliance with the new European regulation on digital markets: the Digital Markets Act (DMA) imposes a certain number of obligations on Tech giants.
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There European Commission launched its investigation in March 2024, after the entry into force of the new European rules. She criticizes the App Store, Apple’s application store, for favoring its own services and preventing users from accessing alternative offers.
It’s an important day for the effective enforcement of the DMA.
We took new steps to ensure Apple complies with it by:
🔸 Informing Apple about our preliminary view that its App Store rules breach the DMA
🔹 Opening a non-compliance procedure on its new business terms for iOS
— European Commission (@EU_Commission) June 24, 2024
For Brussels, Apple built its success on a closed ecosystem around the famous iPhone and iPad, of which it controls all the parameters, which distorts competition. To explain this choice, the brand cites safety requirements and increased user comfort – a philosophy in direct opposition to European competition rules. However, it assures that it has made numerous modifications in recent months to comply with European law.
The fine could reach 30 billion euros
The notice published by the European Commission constitutes a first under the new DMA competition rules, which became binding at the beginning of March. Apple can now exercise its rights of defense by having access to the file and respond in writing to the preliminary conclusions. If these were confirmed, the Commission would adopt a final decision of non-compliance by the end of March 2025.
L’company risks a finerepresenting up to 10% of its global annual turnover, or nearly $38 billion.
Investigations targeting Google and the Meta group, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, have also been opened for non-compliance with the new European regulation.
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