(Andrew Matthews/PA)
(Picture: PA Archive)Spotify has written to the European Union competition commissioner demanding urgent regulatory action against Apple on competition grounds.
The tech firm accused Apple of causing “immeasurable” harms to consumers and developers and of having made “capricious changes to terms and conditions” as a result of its “monopoly position” in a letter to Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice President of the European Commission.
The letter, which was co-signed with a number of tech firms including email business Proton and music streaming service Deezer, said: “For years, Apple has imposed unfair restrictions on our businesses. These restrictions hamper our development and harm European consumers.
“Apple has and continues to defy every effort from courts and regulators to address these unfair practices. While Apple continues to reap unfair rewards, the harm to developers and, more importantly, to consumers is immeasurable.
“It’s time for regulators to address the ever-growing chorus of complaints against Apple, a critical step in stopping Apple’s continued abuses of its powerful platform,” Spotify said.
An Apple spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Spotify previously filed a formal antitrust complaint with the European Commission against Apple almost four years ago, alleging that the tech giant’s “anti-competitive behavior” was stifling innovation and harming developers and consumers across Europe and around the world.
Apple has not been immune from accusations of anti-competitive practices. In 2020, the California-based firm was fined over a billion euros by the French competition watchdog amid allegations it was pressuring third parties to fix product prices. The fine was subsequently lowered on appeal.
In November, Spotify boss Daniel Ek slammed the tech firm in a series of tweets.
“Apple acts in self interest but also doesn’t seem to care about the law or courts,” he said.
Apple acts in self interest but also doesn’t seem to care about the law or courts https://t.co/tpRYJ236LW
— Daniel Ek (@eldsjal) November 30, 2022
