EU hits Apple with $2bn antitrust fine following Spotify complaint
Al Jazeera
Spotify says Apple prevented music-streaming services from informing users of payment options outside its App Store.
The EU has issued Apple with an antitrust fine of over 1.8 billion euros ($1.95bn) following a complaint by music streaming service Spotify.
The US tech giant immediately vowed on Monday to appeal the penalty. It was the first-ever antitrust fine slapped on the company by Brussels.
The European Commission announced that the charge was triggered after Spotify complained in 2019 that Apple had prevented music-streaming services from informing users of payment options outside its App Store.
The European Union’s competition regulator said Apple’s restrictions constituted unfair trading conditions. That is a relatively novel argument in an antitrust case, but it was also used by the Dutch antitrust agency in a decision against Apple in 2021 in a case brought by dating app providers.
“For a decade, Apple abused its dominant position in the market for the distribution of music streaming apps through the App Store,” EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.
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