Apple to face further charges in EU antitrust investigation

European Commission

In April 2021, the European Commission ruled that Apple was in breach of EU laws over the App Store. The decision was called a "preliminary conclusion," however, and now it appears that the antitrust investigators have more charges to bring.

According to Reuters, the unspecified further charge will be levied against Apple in the coming weeks. The charge will be listed in what the EU calls a supplementary statement of objections, which often means the investigators have new evidence.

The EU's investigation stems from an initial complaint by Spotify. In part, the complaint concerned an allegation that Apple was unfairly preventing third-party payment systems to be used, and that would be illegal under the forthcoming Digital Markets Act (DMA).

This DMA is yet to become law, although EU antitrust lead Margrethe Vestager, believes it will be in place by October 2022. Even if it is, however, Apple and other companies affected will potentially have two or more years to comply.

According to Reuters, this delay in enforcement is why separate antitrust charges are required. Firms breaching antitrust rules may be fined up to 10% of their global turnover.