Brussels is set to impose its first-ever fine on tech giant Apple for allegedly breaking EU law on access to music streaming, according to several people with direct knowledge of the long-running investigation, reports . The fine is gigantic, amounting to approximately EUR 500 million, and is to be announced at the beginning of March. The European Commission was investigating whether Apple used its own platform to favor its services, while limiting access to competitors’ services.
Spotify Complaint. The European Commission launched an investigation
The investigation into Apple was initiated in 2019 following a complaint from Spotify. The idea was to check whether the technology giant blocked applications so that they could not inform about cheaper access to music subscriptions outside the App Store. The EC is to recognize Apple’s actions as illegal and contrary to the rules that regulate competition in the single market, and is to prohibit blocking competitor services against users who use the services of the American company. Brussels is also to accuse Apple of abusing its position and using monopolistic practices.
“FT”: This will be one of the most severe penalties
The Financial Times emphasizes that the fine imposed on Apple will be one of the most severe ever imposed by the European Union on technology companies. Apple has never been fined by the European Commission for monopolistic practices, but in 2020 the company was fined €1.1 billion in France for alleged “anti-competitive” behavior. After an appeal, the fine was reduced to EUR 372 million.
Source: Gazeta
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