🐂 Not all bull runs are created equal. November’s AI picks include 5 stocks up +20% eachUnlock Stocks

Exclusive: U.S. app maker Blix in letter to EU's Vestager says Apple not playing fair

Published 09/21/2020, 05:33 AM
Updated 09/21/2020, 05:35 AM
© Reuters.
MSFT
-
AAPL
-
META
-

By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. app maker Blix on Monday took its fight against Apple (O:AAPL) to Europe as it laid out its grievances against the iPhone maker to EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager, saying that Apple is not playing fair.

Blix's criticism came amid Vestager's ongoing investigation into Apple's App Store and mobile payment system Apple Pay as she moves to curb the power of online gatekeepers on which thousands of companies depend for business.

Blix previously sued Apple for excluding its BlueMail product from the Mac app store, accusing the company of infringing its patented technology and abusing its dominance in the app store.

Apple, which subsequently allowed BlueMail back in the digital shop, had cited security issues for the exclusion.

"It is clear to us that Apple is not playing fair," Blix founder Ben Volach wrote in a letter to Vestager seen by Reuters.

"In writing this letter, we are trying to dispel a misconception perpetrated by Apple. The App Store is not a level playing field; developers are not treated equally when they compete with Apple's own apps. Our own experience bears this out," he said.

Volach urged Vestager, who will announce by the end of the year tough new rules known as the Digital Services Act to make U.S. tech giants play fair, to look deeper into Apple's actions.

"They mask Apple's ambition to fully control this essential marketplace and distribution channel in order to maintain its apps' dominance to its competitors' disadvantage," he said.

U.S. social media giant Facebook (O:FB) and Microsoft (O:MSFT) recently voiced concerns about Apple's App Store rules, which the European Commission said it was aware of.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.