Amsterdam: Dutch antitrust watchdog fined Apple 5 million euros ($5.7 million) on Monday, the fifth such penalty in consecutive weeks for accessing non-Apple payment methods for dating app subscriptions.
The Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) says the iPhone maker is abusing a dominant market position by not allowing software app makers in the Netherlands to use other payment methods for dating apps accessible through its App Store.
The ACM has been imposing weekly fines of €5 million since Apple missed a Jan. 15 deadline to make the changes the watchdog imposed.
He said the US company made no new offers to comply with his decision last week.
“We have made it clear to Apple how they can comply…” the watchdog said in a statement. “So far, however, they have refused to make any serious offers.” Apple declined to comment on Monday.
Apple’s App Store requirement that app developers exclusively use its payment system with 30% commissions has come under scrutiny in several countries, most recently in the United States. .
In blog posts, Apple said it had complied with the Dutch ruling by allowing dating app makers to submit a new app with alternative payment methods enabled.
Apple said it still intends to charge a 27% commission on all in-app payments it doesn’t process, slightly below the 30% it charges on those it does.
The ACM dismissed Apple’s measures as placing an unreasonable burden on software developers and falling short of compliance.
Neither Apple nor the ACM have said whether any of the weekly fines have been paid, but it is understood that all are still outstanding.
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