On Monday, Apple initiated legal proceedings against European Union regulators at the bloc’s second-highest court, following a hefty fine of €500 million ($587 million or approximately Rs. 5,032 crore) imposed earlier this year for violating significant regulations aimed at limiting the influence of major technology firms.
The European Commission outlined in an April decision that Apple had imposed technical and commercial restrictions that hinder app developers from directing users to cheaper alternatives outside of its App Store, thus breaching the Digital Markets Act.
Despite previously indicating its intent to challenge the ruling, Apple officially lodged its appeal on the final day permitted for such actions. “We filed our appeal today because we believe the European Commission’s decision, along with the unprecedented fine, exceeds the legal requirements,” the tech giant stated in its announcement.
“Our appeal will demonstrate that the EC is improperly dictating the management of our store and imposing terms that create confusion for developers and detriment users. We adopted these changes to avoid incurring daily fines and intend to present the facts to the court.”
Last month, Apple revised its App Store policies to align with EU directives by eliminating the restrictions on app developers, a move aimed at circumventing potential daily penalties of 5 percent of its average daily global revenue, which could amount to approximately €50 million per day.
The EU competition authority is currently gathering input from app developers to assess whether the modifications are sufficient or if further actions are needed. ($1 = 0.8522 euros)
© Thomson Reuters 2025
