TECH NEWS – An open letter has been sent to EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

Nine CEOs of companies have written a joint letter stating that Apple is engaging in illegal, anticompetitive behavior in the music streaming services sector. The letter is entitled “Call for swift and decisive action against the anticompetitive practices of digital gatekeepers” and is signed by Daniel Ek, CEO and founder of Spotify, and also includes a signatory from the board of Proton. We’ll quote the letter:

“We are writing to you to call for swift and decisive action by the European Commission against anticompetitive and unfair practices by certain global digital gatekeepers, and Apple in particular. For years, Apple has imposed unfair restrictions on our businesses. These restrictions hamper our development and harm European consumers. They include the tying of the App Store to Apple’s proprietary payment system, with its excessive commissions for app developers; the creation of artificial obstacles that prevent our businesses from freely communicating with our customers; restrictions to developers’ access to data of their users; and inconsistent changes to terms and conditions. Apple benefits from a monopoly position over its mobile ecosystem and extracts exorbitant rents from app developers who have no choice but to remain on the App Store to reach European consumers.

We, therefore, call for a rapid decision in the competition case against Apple for its illegal, anticompetitive behavior involving music streaming services. Many of the anticompetitive behaviors described in the Commission’s Statement of Objections against Apple are felt by music streaming services and countless other app providers who wish to offer goods and services via the iOS App Store. That Statement of Objections is nearly two years old, and the abuses and consumer harm will continue until a remedy is enforced. Beyond the App Store case, the EU authorities urgently need to look at Apple’s abusive behavior in other areas, such as publishing, web software, communications, and marketplaces,” the letter says, found by MacRumors.

The European Union has previously spoken out against Apple and other companies. As a result, using USB-C ports on iPhones will soon be mandatory, but it also interferes with software. Apple’s App Store may soon allow (by force) sideloading (running apps not directly from it) and developers to access other app stores.

It is not yet known if the EU will take action on the letter, but since the action has previously forced Apple to use USB-C, legal action could follow.

Source: WCCFTech