Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
Apple’s core business practices came under heavy fire last year when Epic Games decided to challenge the tech company’s App Store policies. Apple has been in a legal back and forth with the gaming company since the feud began last summer. Now, Apple finds itself in more hot water as it’s being investigated by the CMA, a UK government body, for anti-competitive violations.
This news comes directly from the United Kingdom government’s website, as it shared a press release about the investigation. “The probe has been prompted by the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) own work in the digital sector, as well as several developers reporting that Apple’s terms and conditions are unfair and could break competition law,” the press release reads, stating that a number of developers are upset with Apple’s business model.
This, of course, stems from the fact that Apple runs the App Store, which is the only way to directly download third-party apps on the devices that Apple also creates. It’s a similar point to what Epic Games got at in its initial lawsuit against the tech company. Apple has been heavily criticized for its terms of service that all developers must agree to in order to distribute their apps on Apple devices, and now, it’s garnered the attention of the UK government.
“Our ongoing examination into digital markets has already uncovered some worrying trends. We know that businesses, as well as consumers, may suffer real harm if anti-competitive practices by big tech go unchecked. That’s why we’re pressing on with setting up the new Digital Markets Unit and launching new investigations wherever we have grounds to do so,” said Andrea Coscelli, Chief Executive of the CMA.
The CMA is just opening its investigation into Apple, so it will likely be a while before we know what actual ramifications this may have. For future updates on Apple, stick with us here on Shacknews.