Apple disagrees with the EU requirement that the company must open its exclusive features to third parties under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Apple has appealed against the European Commission’s measure requiring the company to open its ecosystem to third parties. According to the EU, Apple leaves no room for competition by not complying with interoperability requirements. For example, certain Apple products can only connect smoothly with other products of that brand. Apple had until May 30 to appeal and is now doing so, according to 9to5Mac among others.
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Apple must open ecosystem to third parties: EU lists requirements
Gatekeeper
According to the European Commission, Apple is in violation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). This regulation is intended to break the monopoly of large companies. Apple has been designated as a gatekeeper and must meet certain conditions.
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‘Apple fails to comply with Europe’s Digital Markets Act’
One of these requirements is that Apple opens its ecosystem to third parties. This includes Apple sharing user information with external developers so they can apply exclusive Apple features. More specifically, it concerns, among other things, WiFi connection or connection between smartwatches and headsets of other brands. According to Apple, the EU is forcing it to give up its intellectual property.
The Privacy Card
The company is also playing the privacy card to strengthen its position. “At Apple, we design our technology to work seamlessly together, so it can provide the unique experience our users love and expect from our products.”
“The EU’s interoperability requirements threaten that foundation, while creating a process that is unreasonable and costly and stifles innovation. These requirements will also hand over sensitive information to data-hungry companies, posing enormous privacy and security risks for our EU users.”
Nevertheless, the European Commission states that Apple does not give competition a chance and is therefore in violation of the DMA.