Tim Sweeney says Apple needs to “be noticed for what they’re doing.” (representative)
Brussels:
European Union regulators said on Thursday that Apple must explain its decision to stop Epic Games from developing a competing app store for its devices as they consider whether the iPhone maker broke any laws.
A spokesman for the European Commission, the EU’s powerful antitrust regulator, said of the EU’s landmark new Digital Markets Act: “We have requested further explanation from Apple under the DMA.”
The DMA ordered the world’s largest technology companies to open their platforms to competition, including allowing rivals to use app stores on their devices.
The six largest companies designated as “gatekeepers” have until the end of Thursday to comply with strict new DMA rules.
“Fortnite” maker Epic said on Wednesday its first-ever effort to launch its own store on the iPhone was rejected, a move seen as punishment for Apple’s public criticism.
“We believe Apple’s decision to prevent us from competing is a blatant use of DMA to suppress their primary competitor,” Epic CEO Tim Sweeney told reporters.
A spokesman for the Commission said it was “also assessing whether Apple’s actions may raise doubts about its compliance with two other EU laws regulating digital players”.
That’s because of the connection between Apple’s Developer Program membership and its App Store, which is designated as a “very large” online platform under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
The spokesperson said Apple’s compliance with the DSA, a content moderation law, means any decision to suspend or terminate an account must be “proportionate and have due regard to fundamental rights.”
Companies such as Apple that must comply with EU platform-for-business regulations should notify business users before terms and conditions change and accounts are closed.
let the fight begin
A few years ago, Epic Games fought through courts and regulators to force Apple and Google to open its iPhone and Android devices to competing app stores and stop charging large commissions on purchases made on its devices.
The EU has included provisions in its DMA that respond to this need.
But implementation doesn’t seem to be smooth sailing.
Sweeney likened Apple’s actions to “feudal lords mounting the skulls of former enemies on their castles” to “discourage others” from speaking out.
Specifically, Apple closed Epic’s developer account on March 2, which allowed it to build the software needed to launch a standalone store on Apple devices.
In a letter provided by Epic, an Apple lawyer cited Sweeney’s frequent criticism of Apple and Epic’s past violations of Apple’s App Store rules.
“Epic has materially breached its contractual obligations to Apple, resulting in a court finding that Apple has the right to terminate (Epic activities) at any time at its sole discretion,” an Apple spokesperson said in an email to AFP.
“In light of Epic’s past and current conduct, Apple has chosen to exercise this right,” the spokesperson added.
For Epic, the rejection shows “Apple has no intention of allowing real competition to occur on Apple devices.”
Given the clear violations of the DMA, “quick action is required,” Sweeney said.
He said Apple needed to be “condemned for what it did, just like anyone else who breaks the law in this way would be condemned.”
“We’re very confident that this is exactly the type of action the DMA is designed to achieve,” said Corie Wright, vice president of public policy at Epic Games.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
