The European Union has fined Apple €1.8 billion for stifling competition from rival music streaming services, the first time the iPhone maker has been punished for breaching EU law.
Margrethe Vestager, the bloc’s competition chief, said that for a decade the tech giant had broken EU antitrust rules by “restricting developers from informing consumers about alternative, cheaper music services available outside of the Apple ecosystem”.
She said this amounted to abuse of the group’s dominant position for music streaming on its App Store.
The €1.8 billion penalty is the third-biggest antitrust fine the European Commission has imposed.
File being prepared for DPP over insider trading
Christmas tech for kids: great gift ideas with safety features for parental peace of mind
MenoPal app offers proactive support to women going through menopause
Ezviz RE4 Plus review: Efficient budget robot cleaner but can suffer from wanderlust under the wrong conditions
Apple said it would appeal, signalling years of legal fights in EU courts. Apple employs 6,000 people in the Republic.
It said the commission had reached its decision despite failing to “uncover any credible evidence of consumer harm”, adding that Brussels’ reasoning “ignores the realities of a market that is thriving, competitive and growing fast”.
[ US supreme court refuses to consider Apple appeal in App Store antitrust suitOpens in new window ]
The commission began its investigation in 2019 after music streaming app Spotify launched a complaint accusing Apple of anti-competitive behaviour.
– Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2024
- Sign up for Business push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Find The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Our Inside Business podcast is published weekly – Find the latest episode here
