The European Commission has lashed out against Apple over its alleged “geo-blocking” of content available in the bloc.
In a press release published on November 12, the body insisted that the practice that Apple appeared to be engaging in was illegal and it was now demanding the Californian tech giant amend its methods.
According to the statement, an investigation spearheaded by the European Union’s Consumer Protection Co-operation (CPC) Network and aided by authorities from Belgium, Germany and Ireland, found that content available to Apple customers differed on a country-by-country basis within the bloc.
It added that users found it either difficult or impossible to see what was available in states different to the one linked to their Apple account.
“Apple Media Services have a different interface for different countries in the EU/EEA. In the app version of these services, consumers are only allowed to access the interface made for the country where they have registered their Apple account and face significant challenges when attempting to change this, which is not allowed under EU’s anti-geo-blocking rules,” the press release read.
“Since App Store [sic] does not allow consumers to access the version of another EU/EEA country, consumers are not allowed to download the apps offered in other countries. Consumers should be able to download apps offered in other EU/EEA countries when they travel to or temporarily stay in that country.”
The authorities argued that Apple has broken the EU’s regulations on geo-blocking that prohibit “unjustified discrimination between EU customers on the basis of their nationality, residence, or place of establishment when they want to buy goods and services from traders located in a different member state”.
“Apple now has one month to reply to the CPC Network’s findings and propose commitments on how they will address the identified geo-blocking practices,” the press release added.
“If Apple fails to address the concerns raised by the CPC Network, national authorities can take enforcement measures to ensure compliance. This is without prejudice to the power of national authorities to take enforcement measures in ongoing national proceedings.”
Speaking of the investigation, outgoing EC competition chief Margrethe Vestager insisted that Brussels was ramping up its Big-Tech clampdown over so-called “geo-blocking”.
“No company, big or small, should unjustly discriminate customers based on their nationality, place of residence or place of establishment. Preventing geo-blocking helps consumers access the goods and services they want across Europe and strengthens the functioning and integrity of our Single Market,” she said.
The new probe came as Apple was already under investigation for allegedly breaching the Digital Markets Act with its AppStore rules.
Should it be found guilty of that accusation, the company risks fines of up to 10 per cent of its global revenue.
EC opens a new investigation into Apple. https://t.co/Oqc8P1iLZA
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) June 24, 2024
