Tag: EC

2015 is fast turning into the year when European regulators get tougher on American tech giants, and Apple’s streaming music plans appear to be putting it alongside Facebook and Google in the European Commission’s crosshairs.

At least, officials have sent questionnaires to several labels and rival streaming services, indicating a willingness to at least consider an investigation into Apple’s likely impact on those rivals.
In one sense, the idea of antitrust action against Apple over streaming seems unlikely. When it comes to streaming, Beats Music is a one-country minnow next to Spotify, for example. But the EC’s focus will be on whether Apple is trying to use its iTunes clout to secure exclusives and other favourable treatment over rivals.