Third time's the charm? EU considers fining Apple over DMA yet again
Once again, Apple will be facing fines from the European Union for breaking Digital Markets Act rules, but the fines will probably be "modest" and far from the maximum penalty.
An EU flag with the App Store logo
Practically since the introduction of the Digital Markets Act, concerns have been raised that Apple and its App Store will face being fined under the law, following various probes into its activities. Now, it seems Apple may face its first actual penalty under the rules.
Apple and Meta are expected to be hit by fines for breaking DMA rules, a source of Reuters claims. The actual size of the fines have not been determined yet, but they are expected to be "modest" in size.
It is difficult to determine how big "modest" fines will be to a massive company such as Apple. The biggest penalty for failing to meet the DMA can be up to 10% of a company's global annual sales, with a reduced penalty likely to still measure in the billions of dollars.
The reasoning behind the expected small penalty size is said to include the relatively short duration of the alleged violations, with DMA only coming into force since 2023.
Other elements include the current geopolitical climate, which includes the current U.S. presidency of Donald Trump, and the potential for retaliation in the form of tariffs against the EU.
Still a chance of $0
The European Commission is also said by the source to be focused more on encouraging companies to comply with the law, rather than issuing sanctions. This could end up with the possibility of there being no fines at all, but with the EU instead impressing a need for compliance by Apple, or otherwise actually facing fines.
This could be in the form of demanding assurances that Apple complies with the Digital Markets Act, which forces gatekeeper companies such as Apple from taking advantage of digital markets and encourages competition.
The problem is, the threat of fines from the EU over the Digital Markets Act is something that's been claimed in the past.
In June 2024, reports circulated that the EU was preparing to issue the first fine for DMA breaches, specifically aiming at Apple's anti-steering measures. Despite the seeming threat, the fine never actually arrived.
Reports also appeared again in November 2024, repeating the story that the EU was seeking to fine Apple under the DMA. However, despite the potential timing for the fine to be the last major act by outgoing competition chief Margrethe Vestager that month, it once again didn't happen.
If the claim of a reluctance to fine is true, that could again lead to Apple escaping the threat of financial penalties once more.
Even so, it is likely that Apple will not be acting graciously to the EU to avoid a penalty. In Apple's DMA compliance report from March 7, it argued that changes made by the law increase risks to users and developers in the form of malware, fraud, and scams.
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