According to Reuters, Apple (AAPL.O) will be fined again next week for failing to completely comply with a court order to open its App Store to competing payment methods for dating applications in the Netherlands.
Since January, the ACM (Authority for Consumers and Markets) has levied weekly 5 million euro fines on Apple, with the ninth punishment being handed out this week.
This week, Apple submitted a new request to the ACM in an attempt to get the suspension lifted. According to a Dutch watchdog official who did not want to be identified, the offer does not entirely comply with its rule.
According to ACM guidelines, once the cumulative penalty reaches 50 million euros, subsequent fines may be harsher. Apple, which mandates developers to use its system and pay 15-30 percent commissions on digital goods transactions, and is facing regulatory scrutiny around the world as a result, could not be reached for comment right away.
In 2019, ACM initiated an investigation into whether Apple’s conduct amounted to an abuse of a dominant market position. It was eventually narrowed in scope to focus solely on dating applications, including Tinder’s parent company Match Group Inc. (MTCH.O).
Apple is accused of abusing its market dominance, and ACM has ordered it to stop. Apple has denied any wrongdoing in the market. Apple would be compelled to open up its App Store once the legislation takes effect in October, according to severe new guidelines adopted on Thursday by the European Commission, EU states, and EU parliamentarians.
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) establishes guidelines for online gatekeepers, or companies that regulate access to data and platforms. Online intermediary services, social networks, search engines, operating systems, online advertising services, cloud computing, video-sharing services, web browsers, and virtual assistants will all be covered.
The DMA requires that digital companies make their messaging systems interoperable and give business users access to their data. Users would be allowed to promote rival items and services on a platform and make deals with clients outside of it.
The guidelines forbid corporations from preferring their own services over those of competitors or from preventing users from uninstalling pre-installed software or apps.
The DMA will apply to enterprises with a market capitalization of 75 billion euros, an annual turnover of 7.5 billion euros, and a monthly user base of at least 45 million. Breaching the laws can result in fines of up to ten percent of a company’s annual global revenue, with fines of up to twenty percent for repeat offenses. Apple, which has been a vocal opponent of the DMA, underlined its concerns.
