The European Union’s flagship market contestability regulation has been in force on a handful of tech giants for months. Since March, the bloc has had open investigations on several gatekeepers. But it’s Apple that will face the first Digital Markets Act (DMA) fine, Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the case.
Apple’s App Store rules are in the frame. In June, the bloc shared preliminary findings with the company, warning that developers should be free to inform users of alternative purchasing routes. However, Apple has persisted in devising new fees in a bid to workaround DMA requirements to let developers avoid its usual App Store cut.
Bloomberg’s report says the EU decision on the case is still being drafted but could land later this month. It does not specify the size of the fine but the DMA allows for penalties of up to 10% of global annual turnover so it could translate into tens of billions of dollars given Apple’s revenue.
Apple has been contacted for comment.
