The European Union is investigating tech giant Apple over its decision to close Epic Games’ developer account, following a dispute between the two companies. Epic Games had planned to launch its own app store in Europe and accused Apple of violating the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) by terminating its developer account.
The EU is examining whether Apple’s actions may breach the DMA, the Digital Services Act (DSA), and the platform-to-business regulation (P2B). Penalties for non-compliance with the DMA can be as high as 10% of global annual turnover, and for the DSA up to 6% of global annual turnover.
Epic Games has alleged that Apple terminated its developer account in retaliation for criticizing Apple’s DMA proposal. Apple, on the other hand, has cited a U.S. court ruling as justification for terminating Epic’s account, stating that its global agreements apply to the termination.
The EU’s internal market commissioner has weighed in on the situation, emphasizing that there is no room for threats from gatekeepers to silence developers. The termination of Epic’s developer account is currently being investigated as a priority by the EU.
This investigation highlights the ongoing battle between tech giants and developers over app store policies and practices. It also underscores the growing regulatory scrutiny faced by big tech companies in the EU and around the world. Stay tuned as more developments unfold in this case.
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