Apple Said To Face Additional EU Antitrust Charge in Coming Weeks in Music Streaming Probe

The European Union had accused Apple of distorting competition in the music streaming market after a complaint from Spotify last year.

By Reuters | Updated: 11 April 2022 18:00 IST

Apple Said To Face Additional EU Antitrust Charge in Coming Weeks in Music Streaming Probe

The European Commission last year accused the iPhone maker of distorting competition

Highlights

Apple was accused of distorting competition in the music industry
Spotify is the largest music subscription service in the world
Spotify is one of Europe's few global success stories in consumer tech

Apple faces an additional EU antitrust charge in the coming weeks in an investigation triggered by a complaint from Spotify, a person familiar with the matter said, a sign that EU enforcers are strengthening their case against the company.

The European Commission last year accused the iPhone maker of distorting competition in the music streaming market via restrictive rules for its App Store that force developers to use its own in-app payment system and prevent them from informing users of other purchasing options.

Such requirements have also come under scrutiny in countries including the United States and Britain.

Apple Stops Product Sales in Russia Amid Ukraine Crisis

Extra charges set out in a so-called supplementary statement of objections are usually issued to companies when the EU competition enforcer has gathered new evidence or has modified some elements to boost its case.

The Commission declined to comment. Apple had no immediate comment.

Spotify, the largest music subscription service in the world, is one of Europe's few global success stories in consumer technology.

iPhone 13 Becomes the Latest Model Manufactured by Apple in India

© Thomson Reuters 2022

Why are they still making more Harry Potter? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.