The penalty paid by Apple to regulator ACM need to pay in the App Store case has reached the maximum amount. The tech group now owes 50 million euros. At the same time, there are signs that things may still be moving forward.
The two sides have been at a stalemate for weeks. The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets believes that Apple should make a number of adjustments to payment rules for dating apps in the Dutch App Store. In its own words, the tech group does this, but the regulator doesn’t think it’s enough.
It has resulted in penalties for the past ten weeks. Every Monday, 5 million euros were added. An amount that will not wake up the concern; the total penalty is a fraction of the annual profit (90 billion euros).
New proposal
The ACM reports this afternoon that Apple sent a modified version of their proposal yesterday. The regulator is “positive about the step Apple is now taking”. This should lead to conditions under which the dating apps can offer alternative payment options. It is unknown what the proposal entails.
The regulator says it will then present the conditions to market parties. This includes Tinder’s parent company, Match Group. After that, the judgment will follow “as soon as possible” whether Apple still complies.
If it is the case that Apple still does not meet the requirements, ACM can choose to impose a higher order subject to a penalty in order to “encourage Apple to comply with the order”.
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