Why Apple is facing an antitrust complaint in China
What's the story
A group of 48 iOS developers has lodged a complaint against Apple with China's State Administration for Market Regulation. The developers allege that the tech giant has not kept its promise to offer the lowest commission rates in China. They have accused Apple of using its market dominance to impose "unfair and excessively high" costs on local creators, as per an open letter by Tian Junwei, one of the developers.
Regulatory action
Developers request antitrust regulator to investigate Apple's practices
The group of developers has requested China's antitrust regulator to investigate Apple's alleged practices. They have accused the company of abusing its market dominance and imposing unfair costs on local creators. This isn't the first time Apple has been accused by Chinese developers. In 2017, a Beijing-based law firm had filed a similar complaint against Apple for removing apps without proper explanations and taking an excessive cut from in-app transactions.
International challenges
App Store policies under fire outside China
Apple's App Store policies have also come under fire outside China. Last year, two civil rights groups filed a complaint with EU antitrust regulators over these policies. In July, the company was fined €500 million ($572.2 million) for violating the EU's Digital Markets Act. The tech giant has appealed against this decision and is currently awaiting a ruling on the matter.