The Digital Markets Act (DMA) came into force about a year and a half ago. Since then, the big technologies So-called “gatekeepers” have been forced to make changes to develop their businesses in a much more regulated environment than before.
But not all companies have made the adjustments that regulators would like to see. One of them would be Apple, which according to Bloomberg, will receive the first sanction under the DMA. A measure that comes to light during the last weeks of Margrethe Vestager as Competition Commissioner.
The weight of the DMA on the Cupertino company
The sources consulted by the aforementioned media indicate that the authorities are preparing the document with the sanction that will relapse soon about Apple. This, they explain, is the result of a violation caused by the App Store rules that had been previously notified.
Specifically, the European Commission understands that the impossibility of application developers being able to direct their users to alternative channels with offers and content outside the App Store constitutes an infringement. Developers don’t have much choice but to comply with the store’s rules.
For example, regulators noted in their preliminary findings last June that developers cannot provide pricing information. inside the app or otherwise communicate with its customers to promote offers available through alternative distribution channels.
They also hinted that Apple’s ability to allow links within apps isn’t enough. “The linking process is subject to several restrictions imposed by Apple,” they stated, indicating that they prevented promoting offers and closing purchases through the destination channel.
Sources have indicated that it is still not clear when the official communication of the sanction to Apple will be made, although it could occur during this month, before Vestager leaves his position. There are also no details on the amount of the sanction, which can reach 10% of annual global turnover.
But that’s not all. Whether it is Apple or any other company that commits a violation under the DMA, it is also exposed to sanctions that can increase up to 20% of its annual global turnover in case of repeated violations, corrective measures, among others. measures contemplated in the law.
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The European Commission and Apple have had a complicated relationship lately. The clearest example of this reality is the fine of 1.8 billion euros that the Cupertino company received in March of this year after the Spotify demand. That sanction occurred under the legislative framework prior to the entry into force of the DMA.
Imágenes | European Parliament (CC BY 2.0) | Christian Lue | Apple
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