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       EU Charges Apple with Antitrust Violations after Spotify Complaint

   Josh Centers

   After a 2019 complaint by Spotify (see '[1]Spotify Asks the European
   Commission to Make Apple Play Fair,' 13 March 2019), The Verge is
   reporting that [2]the European Commission has slapped Apple with
   antitrust charges related to how it operates the App Store in relation
   to music streaming. The EU has singled out two practices:
     * The 30% commission Apple takes from App Store sales
     * App Store rules preventing developers from even mentioning
       non-Apple payment options

   If convicted, Apple could face a fine as high as $27 billion or be
   forced to make fundamental changes to the App Store.

   This may just be the beginning of Apple's antitrust battles in the EU.
   Last year, [3]Rakuten's Kobo subsidiary also complained to the European
   Commission about Apple's 30% cut on ebooks sold in the App Store while
   Apple simultaneously promotes its own Apple Books service. Plus, the EU
   hinted that more charges could be related to Apple's role in the gaming
   market.

   [4]Read original article

References

   1. https://tidbits.com/2019/03/13/spotify-asks-the-european-commission-to-make-apple-play-fair/
   2. https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/30/22407376/apple-european-union-antitrust-charges-app-store-music-competition-commission-margrethe-vestager
   3. https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/16/21292625/apple-rakuten-kobo-app-store-antitrust-complaint-europe
   4. https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/30/22407376/apple-european-union-antitrust-charges-app-store-music-competition-commission-margrethe-vestager

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