A Dutch court has upheld a ruling by the country’s consumer watchdog that found Apple abused its dominant market position by imposing unfair conditions on dating app developers. The decision marks a significant blow to Apple’s control over its App Store payment system and strengthens ongoing global efforts to curb the power of Big Tech.
The Rotterdam District Court on Monday confirmed that the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) was right in its 2021 decision to penalize Apple. The ACM found that Apple had forced dating app developers to use its in-app payment system, which typically includes a 15% to 30% commission. This requirement, the watchdog said, was both anti-competitive and harmful to developers.
Apple’s restrictive policies left dating app providers in the Netherlands with no choice but to use Apple’s payment infrastructure, limiting their ability to offer alternative, and potentially cheaper, payment options to consumers. The court agreed, stating that Apple’s actions constituted an abuse of its dominant position under European competition laws.
The ACM initially ordered Apple to allow dating app developers to use third-party payment systems, threatening fines of up to €50 million for non-compliance. Although Apple took steps to comply such as offering entitlements for developers to use alternative payment systems it was criticized for implementing measures that still maintained excessive control and complexity, such as requiring a separate version of apps for the Dutch market.
Monday’s ruling reinforces the ACM’s authority and may set a precedent for other regulators examining Apple’s App Store practices. Across the EU and globally, regulators are increasingly scrutinizing how tech giants manage app ecosystems, especially when it involves mandatory in-app purchase systems.
While Apple has yet to publicly respond to the Rotterdam court’s decision, the ruling could compel the company to further loosen its grip on app payment rules not just in the Netherlands, but potentially across other markets facing similar scrutiny.
The case underscores a broader shift toward empowering developers and promoting fairer digital marketplaces a trend likely to continue as the EU’s Digital Markets Act begins reshaping the tech regulatory landscape.
