On Tuesday, EU antitrust regulators narrowed their case against Apple, focusing on the company’s App Store rules that prevent developers from informing users of other purchasing options, while dropping another charge related to In-App Payments.
The European Commission, which acts as the executive for the 27-country European Union, did not say why it had dropped its case against the iPhone maker for requiring developers to use its own in-app payment system.
However, the victory for the U.S. tech giant will be short-lived as a new EU tech law known as the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which will apply from May, bans both of the Apple practices investigated by the Commission, with fines of up to 10% of a company’s global turnover for infringements.
Apple said it was pleased the Commission, which can fine it up to 10% of its global turnover for antitrust violations, had narrowed the case and it would respond to the regulator’s concerns.
MacDailyNews Take: You know, because lawmakers and judges have forced Best Buy and Target to place signs next to each product in their stores that advertise lower prices for the same items at Walmart. Oh, wait, that’d be ludicrous; hence: never happened.
If the EU or any other government forces Apple to allow developers like Epic Games to advertise lower prices elsewhere using Apple’s App Store, Apple should simply charge an in-store advertising fee.
Stores certainly have a legal right to charge for in-store advertising.
We suggest the Apple name the new API “In-App Advertise” and price it exactly the same as In-App Purchase is now: 15% of revenue derived from in-app advertising for developers making under $1 million per year and 30% for those making $1 million or more annually. 🙂
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Eurocrats running around tilting at windmills to justify their existence!