Apple threatens to halt supplies to the EU over strict antitrust legislation

Tech giant Apple has called on the European Commission to review or repeal the Digital Markets Act, stating that its requirements are hindering the launch of new features. If rejected, the company says it may suspend the sale of certain products and services in the 27 EU countries. This is reported by UNN with reference to The Guardian.

Details

Apple has called on the European Commission to repeal a raft of tech legislation, warning that if it is not amended, the company may stop supplying some products and services to the 27-nation bloc.

In its appeal to the commission regarding the review of the three-year-old antitrust legislation, which is intended to regulate the dominant power of the largest digital companies, including search engines and messaging services, the iPhone maker stated that the Digital Markets Act leads to "a degraded experience for Apple users, exposing them to security risks."

In it, the manufacturer stated that it has already delayed the launch of features such as live translation via AirPods and mirroring iPhone screens on a laptop. Among the DMA's requirements is also that Apple ensures that headphones made by other brands will work with the iPhone. The company said this is hindering the launch of its live translation service in the EU, as it allows competing companies to access conversation data, creating privacy concerns.

The DMA means that the list of delayed features in the EU is likely to get longer, and the experience of EU users with Apple products will further deteriorate.

Apple added that Brussels is creating unfair competition, as the rules do not apply to Samsung, the largest smartphone supplier in the EU.

The company said that the DMA should be repealed or at least replaced by more appropriate legislation. It did not specify which products might be banned from distribution in the EU in the future, but noted that the Apple Watch, first released ten years ago, might not be released in the EU today.

Earlier this year, Apple appealed a €500 million fine imposed by the EU for allegedly preventing app developers from directing users to cheaper offers outside the app store.

In his post on Truth Social, he wrote: "I will stand up to countries that attack our incredible American tech companies. Digital taxes, digital services legislation, and digital markets regulation are all designed to harm or discriminate against American tech. They also, outrageously, completely ignore China's largest tech companies. This must end, and end NOW!"

Apple said that under the DMA, "instead of competing through innovation, already successful companies are distorting the law to suit their own goals – to collect more data from EU citizens or to get Apple's technology for free."

Recall

Earlier, UNN wrote that Apple will additionally invest $100 billion in the US, bringing total investments to $600 billion over four years. This is Apple's largest investment in America and the world, aimed at bringing manufacturing back to the United States.