Apple failed to challenge the German court’s ruling, which upheld a regulatory decision that allowed the company to strictly monitor antitrust oversight.
In the ruling, the German federal court upheld the classification of iPhone manufacturers as companies with huge market power.
This will give antitrust regulators greater flexibility to review their business practices.
In the process, the court supported the 2023 Apple designation of the German Cartel Office as “the most important cross-market company to competition.”
“Apple offers products and services that are highly vertically integrated, closely interconnected and largely reserved for users of Apple devices,” the court said. BNN Bloomberg.
“This is the foundation of what the company itself calls Apple ecosystem.”
The ruling puts Apple along with other tech giants such as Google’s parental alphabet and Facebook owner Meta, which could also take potential measures to curb its dominance in Germany.
According to reports Reuters.
The European Commission’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) became law in 2023 and is the benchmark for these efforts.
In March 2024, the EU (EU) began an investigation into Apple, letters and meta under DMA legislation.
Recently, Apple and Meta Platforms are reportedly facing fines for violations of DMA.
However, the company expressed disagreement with the German court’s ruling.
“it [the decision] The value of the business model that puts users at the center is ignored. ” Apple representative quoted Reuters Just like saying.
The court’s decision further consolidated the ruling by not consulting with the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, as required by Apple’s legal team.
Apple’s app store has been under special scrutiny in Europe due to concerns about data collection practices.
Andreas Mundt, president of Germany’s national competition regulator, welcomed the court’s ruling.
Mundt, by Reuterssaid: “This means that the Supreme Court has confirmed that Apple is subject to strict abuse controls.
“So, our ongoing scrutiny of Apple’s tracking regulations for third-party applications is on a solid basis, and we are working on this situation and other cases targeting major Internet companies.”
“Apple’s Battle of Losing a German Court – Facing Tighter Oversight” was originally created and published by global data-owned brand DeRdict.
