Apple is likely to be smacked with an European Union (EU) antitrust fine of about 500 million euros (US$543 million) on March 5 over alleged antitrust practices in music streaming, according to Reuters.
The European Commission last year charged the iPhone maker with preventing Spotify and other music streaming firms from informing users of options outside Apple’s App Store. The European Union’s competition watchdog said such “anti-steering obligations” constitute unfair trading conditions, a relatively novel argument in an antitrust case and one which has also been used Meta Platforms.
All this goes back to March 13, 2019 when, Spotify filed an anti-competition complaint about Apple with the EU, claiming the Cupertino, California-based company limited innovation and constraining user choice by refusing to allow Spotify and other firms access to technology and information via the App Store. Two days later Apple released the following statement addressing Spotify’s claims: We believe that technology achieves its true potential when we infuse it with human creativity and ingenuity. From our earliest days, we’ve built our devices, software and services to help artists, musicians, creators and visionaries do what they do best.
Sixteen years ago, we launched the iTunes Store with the idea that there should be a trusted place where users discover and purchase great music and every creator is treated fairly. The result revolutionized the music industry, and our love of music and the people who make it are deeply engrained in Apple.
Eleven years ago, the App Store brought that same passion for creativity to mobile apps. In the decade since, the App Store has helped create many millions of jobs, generated more than $120 billion for developers and created new industries through businesses started and grown entirely in the App Store ecosystem.
