A group of companies representing Spotify, Deezer, Epic Games and others applauded the US Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit filed against Apple on Thursday (March 21), calling it a “strong stand against Apple's stranglehold” on apps for cell phones.
“[Apple] it stifles competition and hurts American consumers and developers.” Rick VanMeter, executive director of The Coalition for App Fairness (CAF), said in a statement. “As this case unfolds over the next few years more must be done now to end the anti-competitive practices of all mobile app gatekeepers.”
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In its sweeping lawsuit filed in New Jersey federal court on Thursday, the US Justice Department alleged that Apple violated antitrust laws by undermining apps and products that could compete with Apple or that could make customers less dependent on its iPhone systems, such as its digital wallet. .
The US case follows similar lawsuits against Apple in the European Union, the United Kingdom and Asia and addresses some of Apple's policies that apply to the Spotify founder/CEO Daniel Ek has been opposed for years.
“There is global consensus that Apple's abuses of monopoly power have stifled innovation and threaten the digital economy.” Avery Gardinerlawyer and competition policy advocate for Spotify, wrote to X. “The DOJ case makes it clear that Apple is hurting the developers and creators who work hard to create the best products and services for consumers.”
Both CAF and Gardiner acknowledged that the Justice Department's case will take time to have any impact and urged Congress to pass the Open Application Marketplace Act, a bill Ek has been lobbying for since it was introduced in August 2021.
The Open App Markets Act would prohibit Apple, Google and other app stores with more than 50 million users from forcing app developers to use their payment systems as a condition of distribution. It will also prevent app store owners from penalizing app developers if they extend offers to customers or offer their app at lower prices elsewhere.
Ek argued that Apple and others are acting as anti-competitive gatekeepers because the terms required for inclusion in their app stores prevent Spotify and others from telling consumers about potentially cheaper bundle options, such as Spotify's duo and family plans. Currently, Spotify has to send customers to its website to sign up for these plans.
The Justice Department's case also seeks to get Apple to loosen restrictions on its messaging tools and add functionality to Apple's wallet. Gardiner and CAF praised the case for what they described as an attempt to level the playing field.
“Competition is the foundation of innovation and [this case] represents the latest step in the fight for a fair and competitive internet,” Gardiner wrote.
