Apple Loses EU Court Challenge Against Digital Markets Act Rules
Quick Look
- Apple's court challenge against the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) has been rejected by the European court of justice.
- The ruling requires Apple to allow interoperability with its app stores and refrain from favoring its own services, upholding the DMA's gatekeeper designation.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Apple lost a court challenge against EU rules designating it a 'gatekeeper' under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The ruling mandates continued interoperability with its app stores and prohibits favoring its own services.
Apple has lost its court challenge against EU rules that designated it as a "gatekeeper," according to a press release from the European court of justice. The decision means that Apple must continue to allow rivals to interoperate with its five app stores, as required by the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA).
The court also ruled that Apple's challenges over an investigation of its iMessage service were "inadmissible."
Apple was fighting against the DMA on three fronts. The first was its requirement that rival hardware (like earbuds and smartwatches) work with the iPhone, which Apple claimed was a security risk. The company also objected to its designation as a "gatekeeper" under the DMA with its iOS, macOS, watchOS, iPadOS and tvOS app stores. Finally, Apple challenged the EU Commission's probe into whether iMessage should have been deemed a covered service, despite an earlier decision that mostly let that service off the hook.
As mentioned, the EU court slapped away the latter challenge, so the status quo stands there: Apple won't need to make it work with other messaging services as before. However, the court upheld the EU's decision ruling that all five stores should be treated as a single core platform service under the DMA. It also maintained that Apple must continue to allow rivals open access to its stores and not favor its own services to those of competitors.
Apple disagreed with the decision but didn't say yet if it would appeal. "We firmly believe the DMA's mandate goes beyond what is lawful and proportionate, threatening to erode decades of privacy and security protections we've built and leaving our users vulnerable to new risks," an Apple spokesperson said in a statement to multiple outlets. "We will continue advocating for the innovation and privacy our European customers deserve."
Apple has railed against the DMA over the past years, recently blaming its rules for delaying indefinitely the launch of its Siri AI assistant in the EU. Apple CEO Tim Cook and European technology chief Henna Virkkunen recently held a call that an EU Commission spokesperson described as "constructive," however.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Apple will likely appeal the decision, citing privacy and security concerns.
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Will Apple appeal the court's decision?
- What specific changes will Apple implement to comply?
