POLICY
POLICY
POLICY
Dutch antitrust watchdog launches probe into Apple’s App Store practices
Dutch regulators today launched an antitrust investigation to determine if Apple Inc. has been giving its apps preferential treatment in the App Store at the expense of rival services.
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets, or ACM, decided to look into the matter after receiving complaints from iOS app makers.
The watchdog didn’t name any specific developers in the announcement. However, it’s possible to speculate that the probe may be motivated partially by the antitrust complaint that Spotify Technology AG recently filed against Apple with the European Commission.
The ACM’s investigation will initially focus on the iPhone maker’s treatment of Dutch news app. This suggests the watchdog may be planning to look into Apple News+, the subscription-based magazine service that the company launched last month.
There’s no word on what specific business practices or App Store policies may have caught the ACM’s attention. However, the watchdog did list some of complaints that it received from developers before moving to open the investigation, which may offer a general idea of its objectives. There’s quite a bit of overlap with the issues that Spotify raised in its antitrust complaint.
One of the points of contention listed by the ACM is that Apple requires app makers to use its own payment system for in-app transactions. Developers have also taken issue with the 30 percent commission that the iPhone maker takes from purchases, which led Spotify to stop selling subscriptions through the App Store a few years.
Google LLC likewise charges a 30 percent fee on Play Store transactions. The ACM said it’s looking for input from Android developers who may have experienced similar issues as those flagged in the App Store complaints, which suggests the investigation could be expanded to include the Alphabet Inc. subsidiary.
The Dutch antitrust investigation adds to the growing scrutiny that U.S. tech giants are facing in the European Union. Three weeks ago, the EU handed down a $1.7 billion fine to Google after finding that the company harmed the ability of rivals to compete in the online advertising market. Earlier, the EU’s three lawmaking institutions agreed on new rules to regulate companies that operate online platforms such as social networks and app marketplaces.
Photo: Unsplash
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