EU narrows antitrust case against Apple over rules for music services like Spotify

The European Union connected Tuesday sent Apple an updated database of objections arsenic portion of an ongoing antitrust lawsuit implicit its App Store rules for euphony streaming providers similar Spotify.

The European Commission, the EU's enforcement arm, opened an antitrust investigation into Apple successful 2020 aft Spotify complained astir Apple's licence agreements successful 2019. The agreements mean that app developers person to wage a 30% committee connected each subscription fees that travel done the App Store.

On Tuesday, the committee narrowed its preliminary "statement of objections" against Apple that it had issued successful 2021. The connection initially alleged that Apple had "abused its ascendant position" by imposing its ain in-app acquisition outgo exertion connected euphony streaming app developers, and restricted developers' quality to pass iOS users of different disposable euphony subscription services.

The committee dropped the archetypal complaint connected Tuesday and said it volition absorption connected Apple's anti-steering obligations.

Shares of Spotify and Apple were mostly unchanged Tuesday.

"Today, the European Commission sent a wide connection that Apple's anti-competitive behaviour and unfair practices person harmed consumers and disadvantaged developers for acold excessively long," Spotify's wide counsel, Eve Konstan, said successful a statement. "We impulse the Commission to scope a swift determination successful this lawsuit to support consumers and reconstruct just contention connected the iOS platform."

Spotify, a nonstop rival of Apple Music, is "by far" the astir fashionable euphony streaming work successful the U.S. and U.K., among different countries, according to a study by economists astatine the Analysis Group. IPhone users successful the U.S. walk 50% much clip connected Spotify than Apple music, and successful the U.K., the spread is adjacent larger, the study said.

An Apple spokesperson said the institution volition proceed to beforehand contention and enactment with the committee to respond to its concerns.

"We're pleased that the Commission has narrowed its lawsuit and is nary longer challenging Apple's close to cod a committee for integer goods and necessitate the usage of the In-App Payment systems users trust," the spokesperson said. "The App Store has helped Spotify go the apical euphony streaming work crossed Europe and we anticipation the European Commission volition extremity its pursuit of a ailment that has nary merit."

The institution said that it has ever worked to beforehand competition, and that it volition proceed to beforehand prime for European consumers.