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[Alpha Biz= Reporter Kim Sangjin] Apple is once again facing antitrust issues with its App Store. Following the European Union's investigation, Spain's competition authority has also launched a probe into Apple's App Store.

On the 24th, the Spanish National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) announced the initiation of an investigation into the potential anti-competitive practices of Apple's App Store.

The CNMC explained that "Apple may be engaging in anti-competitive practices by imposing unfair commercial conditions on app developers in the App Store." However, they did not specify what these "unfair commercial conditions" entailed.

Furthermore, the CNMC stated, "The anti-competitive conduct of the Apple App Store could constitute a violation of relevant laws and abuse of dominant position," noting that the investigation was initiated ex officio due to the growing importance of economic activities conducted through the App Store in Spain. Previously, Apple was also under investigation by the European Commission regarding its App Store operations. Last month, the European Commission provisionally concluded that Apple's App Store rules violated the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

The CNMC highlighted that such anti-competitive practices could be considered "very serious legal violations," warning that "fines up to 10% of global revenue from the previous year could be imposed." Apple's total revenue for the 2023 fiscal year was approximately $383 billion. Major news outlets reported that the CNMC's investigation could take up to two years, potentially resulting in Apple facing fines amounting to billions of dollars.

 

 

 

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