The fine, expected to be around €500 million, is expected to be announced early next month, the culmination of the European Commission's antitrust investigation into whether Apple uses its own platform to favor its own services over those of competitors.
Apple logo outside the App Store. Photo: Reuters
The investigation is looking into whether Apple blocked apps that alerted iPhone users to cheaper alternatives to access music subscriptions outside the App Store. The probe was launched after music streaming app Spotify filed a formal complaint with regulators in 2019.
The European Commission said Apple's actions were illegal and went against the bloc's rules aimed at enforcing competition law in the single market.
The EU accused Apple of abusing its powerful position and imposing anti-competitive commercial practices on rivals, adding that the tech giant’s terms amounted to “unfair trading conditions”.
It is one of the most significant financial penalties the EU has imposed on Big Tech. A series of fines imposed on Google over the years totaling around €8 billion are being contested in court.
Apple has never been fined by the EU for antitrust violations before, but the company was fined €1.1 billion in France in 2020 for alleged anticompetitive behavior. The fine was reduced to €372 million on appeal.
The EU’s action against Apple will reignite the battle between Brussels and Big Tech at a time when companies are forced to demonstrate how they are complying with landmark new rules aimed at opening up competition and allowing smaller tech rivals to thrive.
Big tech companies, including Apple, Amazon and Google, will need to fully comply with these rules under the Digital Markets Act by early next month.
The bill would require these tech giants to adhere to stricter rules and would force them to let rivals share information about their services.
Last month, Apple announced changes to its iOS mobile software, App Store, and Safari browser in an effort to appease the EU after a long history of opposing such moves. But Spotify said at the time that Apple’s compliance was a “complete farce.”
Mai Anh (according to FT)
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