The EU previously imposed sanctions on the company for violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA).A fine of 5 million euros As a result of the EU's decision to impose a fine of approximately NT$190 billion, Apple earlier formally appealed to the General Court of the European Union, accusing the European Commission of imposing an "unprecedented" penalty and stating that it far exceeded the original intention of the law.
In a statement, Apple stated that it filed an appeal because the European Commission's decision and the resulting fine went far beyond legal bounds. Apple emphasized that the ruling not only interfered with how it operated its App Store, but also created confusion for developers and harmed users. The company also stated that it had adjusted its rules accordingly to avoid the daily fine and would present the facts to the court for further review.
The dispute arose in late April of this year, when the European Union ruled that Apple violated the "steering restrictions" clause of its Digital Markets Directive, finding that it had prevented developers from informing users in the App Store that digital content could be purchased through channels other than the App Store. This, in turn, impaired fair competition in the market. The EU therefore required Apple to allow developers to freely offer external purchase links within their apps, offer alternative payment options, and allow users to purchase directly through external links.
Facing the pressure of penalties, Apple has adjusted the App Store usage regulations in the European Union at the end of June this year, allowing developers to freely guide users to external channels. At the same time, it no longer forces developers to use Apple’s own in-app purchase mechanism, and has also targeted the developer fee structure.Make adjustmentsIt is scheduled to be fully implemented on January 2026, 1. It will charge a usage fee of up to 1% based on the service level selected by the developer, which is a significant reduction from the previous 20%.
The new pricing plan is divided into two tiers. Tier 1 is the basic service, which includes basic functions such as App distribution and security management, but no longer covers items such as automatic updates, reviews, search suggestions, App Store marketing and analytical data; if developers choose Tier 2, they can obtain the above services in addition, but the fee is relatively high.
It's worth noting that developers can't opt out of paying Apple fees entirely; Tier 1 is mandatory, while Tier 2 is optional. Apple also stated that this tiered fee structure is designed to provide options in response to EU requirements, which specifically specify which services should be considered optional. This ultimately led to the current relatively complex solution design, with features like search and browsing recommendations now being removed from the base tier.
In this appeal, Apple plans to argue that the European Commission has overly broadened the scope of the Digital Markets Directive's interpretation of "directive restrictions," even interfering with how Apple operates its platform, constituting unreasonable interference. Apple argues that the Digital Markets Directive is intended to ensure fair competition in the market, but should not overly regulate companies' independent operating models.
Apple has temporarily complied with the Commission's request to adjust its App Store practices to avoid new daily fines, but the case still requires further court rulings, so the battle between the two sides is likely to continue for months, if not years. This lawsuit not only impacts Apple's strategic development in the European market but also sets an important legal precedent for the boundaries between digital platforms and regulators worldwide.
