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German watchdog begins anti-trust probe against Apple
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IANS | 21 Jun, 2021
Germany's competition watchdog on Monday opened a probe into alleged
anti-competition practices by Apple, especially via its App Store
policies.
Apple has become the fourth US tech giant -- after
Amazon, Facebook and Google -- to be hit by similar investigations on
behalf of the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO).
The proceeding will determine whether or not the iPhone maker meets the threshold of Germany's updated competition law.
"We
will now examine whether with its proprietary operating system iOS,
Apple has created a digital ecosystem around its iPhone that extends
across several markets," Andreas Mundt, president of the FCO, said in a
statement.
Apple produces tablets, computers and wearables and provides a host of device-related services.
In
addition to manufacturing various hardware products, the tech company
also offers the App Store, iCloud, AppleCare, Apple Music, Apple Arcade,
Apple TV+ as well as other services as part of its services business.
"Besides
assessing the company's position in these areas, we will, among other
aspects, examine its extensive integration across several market levels,
the magnitude of its technological and financial resources and its
access to data," he added.
A main focus of the investigations
will be on the operation of the App Store as it enables Apple in many
ways to influence the business activities of third parties.
The watchdog said it has received various complaints relating to potentially anti-competitive practices.
These
include, among others, an association complaint from the advertising
and media industry against Apple restricting user tracking with the
introduction of its iOS 14.5 operating system.
The FCO has also
received complaints against the "exclusive pre-installation of the
company's own applications as a possible type of self-preferencing".
App
developers also criticise the mandatory use of Apple's own in-app
purchase system (IAP) and the 30 percent commission rate associated with
this.
Apple said in a statement that the App Store's economic
growth and activity have given German developers of all sizes the same
opportunity to share their passion and creativity with users around the
world "while creating a secure and trusted place for customers to
download the apps they love with the privacy protections they expect".
"We
look forward to discussing our approach with the FCO and having an open
dialogue about any of their concerns," an Apple spokesperson told
TechCrunch.
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority in March opened its own probe into Apple's App Store.
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