The Italian Competition Authority announced on Monday that it has fined Apple more than $115.69 million for “abusing its dominant market position,” while the American company confirmed its intention to appeal the decision.
Violation of Competition Law
The authority stated that Apple “violated” competition law in the app developer market, adding that Apple holds an absolute dominant position in this market through its App Store.
It noted that Apple also imposed highly restrictive conditions regarding user privacy protection in a competitive context. The authority concluded that these conditions imposed by Apple “unilaterally harm the interests of its commercial partners and are disproportionate to the goal of protecting privacy.”
For its part, Apple expressed in a statement its “strong opposition to the Italian Competition Authority’s decision” and announced its intent to appeal. The company asserts that its privacy protection rules “apply equally to all developers, including Apple, have been adopted by our customers, and are praised by privacy advocates and data protection authorities worldwide.”
