The Digital Markets Law will come into force on March 6 and everyone is waiting for Apple’s response!
A few days before the entry into force of the law on digital markets in Europe, Apple continues to be in the eyes of legislators and competitors. Thus, 34 companies and associations sent a letter to the European Commission, questioning the protocol with which those of the bitten apple will adapt to comply with the regulations which will be mandatory from March 6, 2024.
Since the approval of the Digital Markets Law in 2023, Apple has sought by all means to take care of the interests that could be affected by it, and even in November last year it challenged said law to avoid the alternative app stores on the iPhone. From now on, the new joint complaint considers that Apple “ignores both the spirit and the letter of the law.”
Several companies ensure Apple complies with the Digital Markets Act
In the statement, The signatories highlight several specific elements of Apple’s plan, including basic technology fees, the notarization process and the terms developers must agree to.as we see below:
- Apple’s requirement to stay with the current App Store terms or accept new terms offers developers “an unviable choice” that adds complexity and confusion.
- There Core Technology Fees and Transaction Fees They will hinder competition and prevent developers from accepting “abusive terms”.
- Apple uses “unfounded privacy and security concerns” to limit users’ options. The “scary screens” Apple plans to show users will “deceive and degrade the user experience.”
- Apple doesn’t allow downloading and makes installing and using new app stores “difficult, risky, and financially unattractive for developers.”
According to the observations contained in the document, Companies and associations urge the European Union to take “rapid, timely and decisive action against Apple”. And how the European Commission responds to Apple’s proposal should “serve as a litmus test for the DMA and whether it can be beneficial for European citizens and the economy.”
Everything indicates that Companies won’t give up until Apple complies with the law without gray areas which, if achieved, will radically change the company’s economic model.
As the deadline approaches, it will be from the launch of iOS 17.4 that we should see changes underway in alternative app markets, alternative payment methods and new terms that Apple has designed for developers.
But the wait has not been easy for those in Cupertino, that same week the European Commission fined Apple 1.8 billion dollars for App Store policies.
