Spotify Files Antitrust Complaint Against Apple in EU
March 13 2019 - 6:46AM
Dow Jones News
By Valentina Pop in Brussels and Sam Schechner in Paris
Music-streaming service Spotify Technology SA has filed an
antitrust complaint in Europe against Apple Inc., a new salvo in a
broader battle over alleged wrongdoing by tech giants.
Spotify's complaint, filed late Monday to the antitrust arm of
the European Union, alleges that Apple in recent years has abused
its control over what apps appear in its app store. The
restrictions, Spotify claims, are designed to restrict
music-streaming services that compete with Apple's own Apple
Music.
Spotify claims that Apple made it difficult for rival
subscription services to market themselves to users without using
Apple's payment system, which generally takes a 30% cut of
transactions. Spotify's app doesn't face the same restrictions on
in the Play store run by Alphabet Inc.'s Google, Spotify said.
Spotify also said Apple at times rejected security updates of its
app and threatened to kick it out of its App Store for allegedly
anticompetitive reasons.
"Apps should compete on merits, not who owns the app store,"
said Horacio Gutierrez, Spotify's general counsel.
Representatives of Apple and European Commission, the EU's
antitrust enforcer, didn't immediately respond to a request for
comment.
Write to Valentina Pop and Sam Schechner at
Valentina.Pop@wsj.com and sam.schechner@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 13, 2019 06:31 ET (10:31 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Spotify Technology (NYSE:SPOT)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
Spotify Technology (NYSE:SPOT)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024