The Italian Competition Authority announced on Monday that it has fined Apple more than $115 million (€98.6 million) for “abusing its dominant market position,” while the American company confirmed it intends to appeal the decision.
The authority stated in a release that Apple “violated” competition law in the market for app developers, adding that “Apple holds a position of absolute dominance in this market through its App Store.”
Apple Rejects the Decision and Will Appeal
It was noted that the company also imposed very restrictive conditions regarding user privacy protection in a competitive context. The authority concluded that these conditions imposed by Apple are “unilateral, harm the interests of its commercial partners, and are disproportionate to the goal of protecting privacy.”
For its part, Apple expressed in a statement its “strong opposition to the decision of the Italian Competition Authority” and announced its intention to appeal.
The company asserts that its privacy protection rules “are applied equally to all developers, including Apple, have been adopted by our customers, and are praised by privacy advocates and data protection authorities worldwide.”
