Music streaming service Spotify, together with different media corporations equivalent to Deezer, urged the European Fee to take motion in opposition to Apple for anticompetitive and unfair practices, in a joint trade letter on Wednesday.
The letter, addressed to the European Union antitrust regulator’s Govt Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, demanded the Fee to behave quick for the welfare of European customers.
Spotify has for years accused Apple of abusing its market place utilizing its App Retailer guidelines to stifle competitors.
It has beforehand submitted antitrust complaints in opposition to Apple in numerous international locations, alleging the 30 p.c cost Apple requires builders to pay on its App Retailer has compelled Spotify to “artificially inflate” its personal costs.
“We’re writing to you to name for swift and decisive motion by the European Fee in opposition to anticompetitive and unfair practices by sure world digital gatekeepers, and Apple particularly,” learn the letter, which was signed by chief executives of media corporations Schibsted, Proton and Basecamp.
Spotify’s Chief Govt Daniel Ek had beforehand mentioned the iPhone maker “provides itself each benefit whereas on the identical time stifling innovation and hurting customers”.
Apple didn’t instantly reply to a Reuters request for remark.
Final month, Ek renewed his assault on Apple in a sequence of tweets alleging the iPhone maker “provides itself each benefit whereas on the identical time stifling innovation and hurting customers”. He had tagged quite a lot of sympathetic enterprise leaders in his 21-tweet thread, together with Musk, Microsoft president Brad Smith, and Proton founder Andy Yen.
“So how for much longer will we glance away from this risk to the way forward for the web? What number of extra customers can be denied selection? There’s been a number of speak. Speak is useful however we’d like motion,” Ek had tweeted.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
