The European Union imposes its first fine on Apple

Apple faces a huge fine estimated at approximately $539 million (500 million euros) from the European Union and a ban for supposed monopolistic practices related to the App Store in the music streaming services sector.

The European Union announced that it has fined Apple an amount of 1.8 billion euros ($1.95 billion) for stifling competition from competing music streaming services.

This is the first time that an iPhone maker has been punished for violating European Union law. The fine is the third largest antitrust fine imposed by the European Commission.

The bloc’s antitrust chief, Margrethe Vestager, said the tech giant had broken EU antitrust rules for a decade by “preventing developers from informing consumers about cheaper alternative music streaming services outside the (Apple) ecosystem.”

It added that this amounts to abusing the group’s dominant position to stream music on its app store.

Apple said it would appeal the ruling, signaling years of legal battles in European Union courts.

She added that the Commission made its decision despite not “revealing any reliable evidence of harm to the consumer,” adding that Brussels’ logic “ignores the reality of a thriving, competitive and rapidly growing market.”

The Commission began its investigation in 2019 after the music streaming application Spotify filed a complaint accusing Apple of anti-competitive behavior.

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