Spotify files antitrust complaint in the EU against Apple
Spotify files antitrust complaint against Apple as streaming feud intensifies.
Friction between streaming giants Spotify and Apple is heating up, with the former filing an antitrust complaint against the latter in the EU.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek outlined three main petitions his company has made to the EU against Apple, namely:
- Developers shouldn’t automatically be ‘subjected’ to pay Apple’s 30% ‘tax’ on items purchased through Apple’s payment system.
- Secondly, Ek feels that all apps should compete on ‘merits,’ not just who owns the App Store.
- Finally, the App Store shouldn’t restrict and control the communication between developers and users, which Ek says includes “placing unfair restrictions on marketing and promotions that benefit consumers.”
Soon after the complaint was made, fellow streaming sites Deezer an Anghami voiced their support of Spotify’s filing.
Elie Habib, Anghami’s Co-Founder, explained,
“I think the entire music streaming industry stands behind Spotify in this battle – because it’s blatantly anti-competitive.”
What does Apple say?
Apple stands by its ways of conducting business:
“At its core, the App Store is a safe, secure platform where users can have faith in the apps they discover and the transactions they make.
“And developers, from first-time engineers to larger companies, can rest assured that everyone is playing by the same set of rules.”
Taking a shot at Spotify’s current scuffle with American songwriters and shocking royalty payouts, Apple added:
“At the same time, they distribute the music you love while making ever-smaller contributions to the artists, musicians, and songwriters who create it — even going so far as to take these creators to court.”
At the moment it’s a “they do they do” match, with both parties denying their faults however everything is hanging on the EU’s ruling, which will be decided after the Commission assess the complaint “under our standard procedure.”
Spotify files antitrust complaint against Apple as the streaming sauna heats up.
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