BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union said Monday it believes Apple abused its dominant position by limiting rivals’ access to its Apple Pay mobile payment system.
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The European Commission has been investigating the technology company since 2020.
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In its preliminary opinion, the executive arm of the 27-nation bloc said that Apple is restricting competition by preventing virtual wallet app developers from accessing necessary hardware and software on their devices.
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“By excluding others from the game, Apple has unfairly shielded its wallets from competition,” the EU competition commissioner said. “If proven, this behavior would represent abuse of a dominant position, which is illegal under our rules.”
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The commission did not say how high the fines against Apple could be if the charges are upheld.
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This practice “has a foreclosure effect on competitors and leads to less innovation and fewer choices for consumers for digital wallets on iPhones,” the commission said, adding that it has sent Apple a statement of objections over its practices. This is a formal step in their investigations into alleged violations of community antitrust laws.
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This case is one of several that the European Union has open against Apple. The bloc’s regulators are also studying an alleged violation of its antitrust rules by distorting competition in music streaming by imposing unfair rules on rival services in its App Store.
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