Yesterday, the European Commission reached out to Apple Group for clarifications in response to a complaint filed by Epic Games, an American video game publisher. The complaint accuses Apple of hindering competition by blocking the development and offering of alternative applications on iPhones.
A Commission spokeswoman said: “We have asked Apple for additional clarifications on this matter within the “Digital Markets Law framework,” about the new rules on digital platforms that have entered into force in the European Union.
As part of these rules relating to digital markets known as “DMA”, six of the giants of the world’s technology sector, including Apple, are obligated to open their platforms to competition
The law aims to protect the emergence and growth of startups and improve the choices available to users.
However, Epic Games, which publishes the Fortnite game, announced that Apple had prevented it from providing an alternative application store to the iPhone manufacturer’s store.
“Epic” said that its first attempt to offer its stores on “iPhone” phones was rejected, and “Epic” described this as a retaliatory measure due to its many public criticisms of “Apple.”
In front of the press, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney accused Apple executives of making a “blatant “attempt to force their main competitor into submission.
The European Commission spokeswoman stressed that Brussels is also evaluating whether Apple’s position “does not raise doubts about its compliance” with two other European Union laws that apply to companies operating in the digital sector.
In recent times, Epic has taken an assertive stance and is actively engaging with legal channels to compel Apple and Google to allow third-party app stores on their mobile operating systems, iOS and Android, which power a majority of the smartphones in the market.
The video game developer company also seeks to get technology giants to stop charging a large commission on user purchases (bonuses, game options).
On March 2, Apple closed the Epic developer account, which was necessary to launch a store on its devices.
An Apple spokesman said in an email to Agency France-Presse: “Epic’s flagrant violation of its contractual obligations towards Apple led the courts to say that Apple has the right to terminate Epic’s business at any time and Apple’s sole discretion.”