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Apple Fined Nearly $2 Billion in EU Music Streaming Antitrust Case Brought by Spotify

Apple will have to pay a nearly $2 billion fine after the European Commission ruled it violated antitrust laws after Spotify filed a complaint.

The decision was handed down several years after Spotify filed an antitrust complaint against the tech giant, accusing it of introducing rules that “purposely limit choice and stifle innovation.” The European Commission ultimately sided with Spotify, saying that Apple violated EU antitrust rules by putting restrictions on app developers that kept them from telling users about “alternative and cheaper music subscription services.” Spotify celebrated the decision in a press release, calling it an “important moment in the fight for a more open internet for consumers.” It added: “By requiring Apple to stop its illegal conduct in the EU, the EC is putting consumers first. The company argued the EC failed to “uncover any credible evidence of consumer harm” and suggested the decision was grounded in rules laid out in the EU’s soon-to-be-implemented Digital Markets Act.

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