European consumer lobbying group backs EU's Apple Music antitrust case
The European Commission is to allow a consumer group to contribute to its continuing antitrust investigation into Apple Music.
The European Commission has given Apple three months to respond to its finding that the company is in breach of EU competition law with Apple Music. In the meantime, the commission has now formally recognized the Bureau Europeen des Unions de Consommateurs (BEUC), a consumer lobbying group, as an interested party.
"We look forward to working with the Commission to ensure that Europe's consumers have access to a full range of music streaming services without their choices being unfairly restricted or prices being artificially inflated," said Monique Goyens, Director General of the BEUC, in a statement.
The BEUC represents 46 independent consumer organizations from 32 countries. It says its main role is to represent these organizations to the EU "and defend the interests of European consumers."
Being formally recognized as an interested third party means that the BEUC will be able to contribute consumer feedback to the investigation.
Analysts have claimed that the EU's "bark is a lot worse than the bite," in that there are unlikely to be large-scale repercussions for Apple and Apple Music.
However, although the EU is waiting for Apple's response to its preliminary report, those findings do say that Apple has infringed Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. That specifically prohibits the abuse of a dominant market position.
Apple has not responded to the EU's recognition of the BEUC, but does disagree with the commission's findings.
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The European Commission has given Apple three months to respond to its finding that the company is in breach of EU competition law with Apple Music. In the meantime, the commission has now formally recognized the Bureau Europeen des Unions de Consommateurs (BEUC), a consumer lobbying group, as an interested party.
"We look forward to working with the Commission to ensure that Europe's consumers have access to a full range of music streaming services without their choices being unfairly restricted or prices being artificially inflated," said Monique Goyens, Director General of the BEUC, in a statement.
The BEUC represents 46 independent consumer organizations from 32 countries. It says its main role is to represent these organizations to the EU "and defend the interests of European consumers."
Being formally recognized as an interested third party means that the BEUC will be able to contribute consumer feedback to the investigation.
Analysts have claimed that the EU's "bark is a lot worse than the bite," in that there are unlikely to be large-scale repercussions for Apple and Apple Music.
However, although the EU is waiting for Apple's response to its preliminary report, those findings do say that Apple has infringed Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. That specifically prohibits the abuse of a dominant market position.
Apple has not responded to the EU's recognition of the BEUC, but does disagree with the commission's findings.
Follow all the details of WWDC 2021 with the comprehensive AppleInsider coverage of the whole week-long event from June 7 through June 11, including details of all the new launches and updates.
Stay on top of all Apple news right from your HomePod. Say, "Hey, Siri, play AppleInsider," and you'll get latest AppleInsider Podcast. Or ask your HomePod mini for "AppleInsider Daily" instead and you'll hear a fast update direct from our news team. And, if you're interested in Apple-centric home automation, say "Hey, Siri, play HomeKit Insider," and you'll be listening to our newest specialized podcast in moments.
Comments
If you can't bring a product to market at a price that appeals to consumers, yet your competitors can, maybe you should be looking in the mirror for the source of your problems. And if you've tried everything you can think of, and then tried some more and still can't find the answer, then giving up is a viable course of action. If you've managed to build up a substantial subscriber base you can sell your business to someone who knows how to make money from it.