A court in Rotterdam has confirmed a decision from 2021 and Apple imposed an amount of money of 50 million euros. You need to know this.
Apple is a fine of 50 million euros
Apple has been fined again this week in Europe. A court in Rotterdam has a decision from 2021 by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) Striked and confirmed that Apple has abused its dominant position in the App Store. At least when it comes to dating apps.
The case is all about Apple’s requirement that App developers should use the In-app Payment System (IAP) for digital purchases. Users to external payment methods Leiden is therefore not possible. According to the ACM, and now also the judge, this creates unfair conditions for developers of dating apps that are active on the Dutch market.
The decision of the Court of Appeal means that the fine of 50 million euros will remain. The fine was imposed in 2022 after Apple had not fully met the requirements of the ACM, which for the first time the company obliged to make changes. Apple says in one declaration That it is planning to appeal against the decision.
Criticism of App Store keeps on worldwide
Although this case is limited to dating apps in the Netherlands, Apple’s App Store policy is being examined throughout the world. The Digital Markets Act (DMA), who came into effect earlier this year, the company is already forcing to relax a number of App Store restrictions in the EU. In the meantime, Apple has had to deal with comparable studies on app distribution and payment rules in countries such as Japan, Brazil and the United Kingdom.
For developers outside the dating apps category, this statement does not directly lead to changes. But it does add legal weight to the continuous debate about how much Apple control should have about App Store payments, both in Europe and beyond.
Download the iPhoned app
