According to the Financial Times and Daily Mail on the 18th, the European Commission will impose a fine of approximately 500 million euros on technology giant Apple for allegedly failing to inform iPhone users of cheaper alternative music streaming applications outside of the App Store, creating an anti competitive environment and violating EU antitrust regulations.
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The Financial Times quoted five people directly familiar with the long-term investigation as saying that this will be Apple's first time being punished by the European Union. The EU is expected to announce this penalty decision early next month.
It is understood that the EU's investigation into the Apple App Store was triggered by a complaint from Spotify nearly four years ago, claiming that it was forced to raise monthly subscription prices to compensate for costs related to Apple's alleged control over the operation of the App Store.
Regarding the fine imposed by the European Union, Apple cited a previous statement when asked to comment, stating that "its App Store has helped Spotify become a top music streaming service in Europe." The European Commission declined to comment.
It is worth mentioning that EU regulatory agencies are currently preparing to implement the EU's Flagship Digital Markets Act, which will come into effect on March 7th. This new broad rule aims to prevent competition violations by technology companies.
According to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), it would be illegal for the most powerful companies to prioritize their own services over those of their competitors. These companies will be prohibited from merging personal data in different services, using data they collect from third-party merchants to compete with them, and must allow users to download applications from competitor platforms.
Article | Reporter Leng Shuang