Coalition Urges EU to Enforce Antitrust Rules on Apple

A coalition of app developers and consumer groups urged the European Commission on Tuesday to strengthen enforcement of EU antitrust rules against Apple, arguing that the company's revised fee structure continues to disadvantage European developers compared to their U.S. counterparts following a recent American court ruling.

The Coalition for App Fairness, which includes companies such as Basecamp, Deezer, Spotify, Epic Games, Proton, Tile, and others, contends that Apple's policies undermine fair competition in the app economy. The group, representing about 20 organizations, highlighted disparities exacerbated by a decision from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this month. That ruling denied Apple's appeal against a contempt order in its long-running antitrust dispute with Epic Games and directed a lower court to establish a fee structure for external purchases referred from the App Store.

Under the European Union's Digital Markets Act, which took effect in 2023, tech giants designated as gatekeepers, including Apple, must allow developers to direct users to alternative payment options outside their platforms without imposing additional charges. The law aims to...