EU law will force Apple to blow open its entire hardware and software stack
A European Parliament committee has advanced an agreement between member states on the Digital Markets Act, which if passed as it presently stands, will force Apple and others to open up otherwise restricted app stores, hardware features, and more.
European Union flags
On Monday, The EU Parliament's Internal Market Committee approved the provisionally reached agreement with 43 votes in favor, one vote against, and one abstention, the legislative body has announced. The approval marks another crucial step toward the DMA becoming law in Europe.
"Today's overwhelming majority shows that the Parliament stands united against the unfair practices of gatekeepers," said Andreas Schwab, who led negotiations. "This is the penultimate step for the DMA to enter into force - for me, it has always been important to fast-track this law while making it better."
The Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act will place a bevy of restrictions on so-called "gatekeeper" companies like Apple and Google.
For example, the rules could force Apple to allow third-party app stores on its platforms, make iMessage interoperable with other communication apps, and end self-preferencing of first-party apps within marketplaces.
Futhermore, it requires the companies to open up NFC communications, features like ultrawide broadband implementations, and other specific hardware features tied to an integrated ecosystem. Both software and hardware are under the gun for opening to others to use.
The rules will come with strict penalties for noncompliance. The European Commission can levy fines of up to 10% of a company's global revenue from the proceeding financial year. Those fines can reach up to 20% in cases of repeated violations.
Both the DMA and the DSA are slated to go before Parliament for a final vote in July. Once that happens, they will be formally adopted by the Council and published into the EU Official Journal.
DMA regulations could go into effect 20 days after the publication, and its provisions will begin to apply to businesses six months afterward.
Read on AppleInsider
European Union flags
On Monday, The EU Parliament's Internal Market Committee approved the provisionally reached agreement with 43 votes in favor, one vote against, and one abstention, the legislative body has announced. The approval marks another crucial step toward the DMA becoming law in Europe.
"Today's overwhelming majority shows that the Parliament stands united against the unfair practices of gatekeepers," said Andreas Schwab, who led negotiations. "This is the penultimate step for the DMA to enter into force - for me, it has always been important to fast-track this law while making it better."
The Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act will place a bevy of restrictions on so-called "gatekeeper" companies like Apple and Google.
For example, the rules could force Apple to allow third-party app stores on its platforms, make iMessage interoperable with other communication apps, and end self-preferencing of first-party apps within marketplaces.
Futhermore, it requires the companies to open up NFC communications, features like ultrawide broadband implementations, and other specific hardware features tied to an integrated ecosystem. Both software and hardware are under the gun for opening to others to use.
The rules will come with strict penalties for noncompliance. The European Commission can levy fines of up to 10% of a company's global revenue from the proceeding financial year. Those fines can reach up to 20% in cases of repeated violations.
Both the DMA and the DSA are slated to go before Parliament for a final vote in July. Once that happens, they will be formally adopted by the Council and published into the EU Official Journal.
DMA regulations could go into effect 20 days after the publication, and its provisions will begin to apply to businesses six months afterward.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
1. USA 38%
2. EU 24%
3. Greater China 20%
...
By the way – I would guess that USA will follow EU!
Even if a non-Apple app-store is made available on iOS it will be crippled to some extent and almost nobody will use it regardless.
I predict that in a few years when this is history we’ll look back and wonder what all the fuss was and what the EU has achieved.
Then on top of that people expect Apple to largely stop “selling” iPhones and move to a hire/rental model - to further solidify tie-in to the platform. Personally I buy devices outright, but I’d pay for an Apple hire if the price was right.
While I generally feel that tariffs and import duties are not a good thing. I agree that the US should target European industries as retaliation. These "laws" are targeting American companies and will directly affect American consumers, jobs and investors. The retaliatory measures should hurt European consumers, jobs and investors just as hard. Every fine that is imposed should be reciprocated.
https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/leadership/presidents_en
I'm living in EU, France.
European Union is a whole host of democracy, lots of election, regular change of majority and political sides (NOT like in Russia or China, for example)
lot of laws to preserve rights for minorities and to protect people (again, not like in Russia)
and also, the commission is composed by elected governments of the members
and the European parliament are elected by the whole population
And what about that proposition of European DIRECTIVE (it's not a law yet, it will need to be transposed and voted in each national states to be "law") ?
I'm all for it.
To open market, to force manufactures to cease their "walled garden" is a good thing.
I'm fond of Apple but it's not to Apple to decide for me if Steam or Epic are bad.
And yes, I don't care at all : I still want to profit from the good work of Apple (hardware quality, easy to use software and so on), I pay of it, and still to open it as much as possible to make it an always more useful tool for _ME_, not apple, ME.
the less I need to hack, the more I can have software on my Apple's device, the better that device will be.
". At this point Apple needs to seriously tell the EU to GTH."
you're right, it's time to EU to tell the US to GTH. And replace OTAN by a full militarized European Defense. Like that, next time a new USA isolationist president insult us , we can answer "okay, great, goodbye". and Putin will not have that silly excuse "but but but but the USA... waAAAAAh !" to justify why he harass us.
haa..maybe one day
" The US needs to triple import duties on EU goods effectively shutting the EU down."
The UE needs to QUADRUPLE import duties on US goods effectively shutting the US down (after Avatar 2, 3 and 4 are released, pleased, I love James Cameron
" The US should also reduce exports to the EU and cut off any financial support. "
The UE should also reduce exports to the US and cut off any financial support.
I mean, there is a lot of agricultural products, hardware, services and luxury products sold to the USA by UE, and you know it's materialism and pollution. By cutting down the US, we could all collectively attain a glorious Golden Spiritual Age ! Less crap, Less sea polluting boats full of goods !
(yes... it's SARCASM. Sarcasm from your friendly neighborhood french citizen)
That's representative democracy, even if it's not direct democracy.
The US is actually about the same as the EU Council. Our antiquated electoral college was created to allow slave states to have a voice while at least recently, the majority of US citizens have had to settle for a president elected my a minority of voters. I don't know how twisted elections in Europe are but having a multi-country Council seems to be totally against the separation of countries. Why not just get rid of countries or at least turn them into "states" and actually have elections where all the citizens can vote for their future.
What the good people on the other side of the Pond need to understand is that "La Belle France" will do whatever is in the best interests of France and to hell what the EU and especially the jerks in Brussels might want them to do.
If they don't like an EU-wide law then they'll ignore it. They have as the cops might say, 'form' in that matter.
For example, If the French does not want Hormone laden USDA beef then you might as well feed it to the fishes on the way across the Atlantic. There is no way that they'll let their people eat inferior quality food to what they can produce themselves.
The French can be the most stubborn nation on earth.
As for OTAN/NATO... if Drumpf or DeathSantis gets elected in 2024, there will be a move by the US to leave NATO. Well, I say, good riddance and go and stew in your own tears. Europe is more together militarily than ever thanks to Putin.