Spotify filed an anticompetition complaint against Apple with the European Commission in March 2019, sparking a formal investigation in June 2020. In April 2021, the EC sent Apple a ‘statement of objections’ claiming that it had “distorted competition in the music streaming market as it abused its dominant position for the distribution of music streaming apps through its App Store”.
Now Reuters is reporting that Apple may face another charge in addition to that. What is that extra charge? Reuters isn’t saying, and the EC and Apple have not commented either.
“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,” was the report’s claim.
The long-running process has taken place alongside other regulatory and legal pressure around the world, with Apple already having made several changes to its App Store policies in response – for example allowing ‘reader apps’ (Spotify included) to link from their iOS apps to their own subscription billing systems.
Tools: platforms to help you reach new audiences
Tools :: Wyng
Through Music Ally’s internal marketing campaign tracking, we’ve recently discovered an interesting website by the…