Apple will have to pay an additional 5 million euros in fines

Since the end of January, Apple has had to pay five million euros in fines each week if the conditions of use of the App Store do not agree with the Dutch competition authorities . And after already fourteen days without being up to date, it is therefore once again that the sentence fell on this Tuesday, February 8.

The ACM ( Authority for Consumers and Markets ) justifies itself by explaining that the accused has still not taken the trouble to authorize alternative payment systems for developers of dating apps. And this even though a first step forward has taken place by lowering the commission charged by Cupertino on in-app purchases to 27% instead of the original 30% .

An argument with the competition

The reasons behind this mistrust are however quite clear. Indeed, it suffices to look at most similar platforms such as Google Play , the PlayStation Store, Steam or even the catalog of games on Xbox to understand that most publishers operate in the same way. However, they are not prosecuted…

What seems to be a problem, on the other hand, is in fact Apple’s hegemony, particularly in the ecosystem of iOS apps, but also in the services market in general. A sector which would weigh 1,500 billion dollars just for the group of Tim Cook , in other words more than the gross domestic product of the Netherlands.

35 million pending

If Apple does not comply with the ACM requirements by next week, then an additional five million euros in fines will be due. Up to the announced limit of fifty million maximum, beyond which the legislators will probably meet again to decide what to do next.

The Netherlands are not the only ones to be interested in the behavior deemed anti-competitive by Apple. In France too, a heavy financial punishment against him is thus awaiting settlement …