Dutch competition watchdog ACM has rejected Apple’s objections to fines amounting to 50 million euros ($52.9 million) imposed on the company for non-compliance with regulations aimed at curbing Apple’s dominance in the App Store.
The ACM confirmed that Apple had mostly fulfilled its demands to allow alternative payment methods for dating apps in the Netherlands. However, it had failed to meet an undisclosed third condition related to the fines.
In 2021, the ACM determined that Apple had violated Dutch competition laws in the dating app market and mandated that Apple enable dating app developers to utilize third-party payment processors.
The fine imposed on Apple amounted to 5 million euros per week, with a maximum cap of 50 million euros, for the duration it failed to adhere to these directives.
Apple contested these fines, asserting that the regulator had misidentified relevant markets and exaggerated the extent of its dominance in the dating app market, as well as the potential abuse of this position.
The ACM dismissed all of Apple’s objections and published its decision on July 13, 2023.
Apple has subsequently filed an appeal against the ruling, according to the ACM.
($1 = 0.9454 euros)
(Reporting by Bart Meijer, Editing by Louise Heavens)
Credit: The Star : Tech Feed
