Apple is drafting an appeal against the EU’s Digital Market Act, arguing that it should not be required to allow alternative app marketplaces on its devices.
European Union flags
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) of the European Union is a series of regulations aimed at tech giants like Amazon, Apple, Google, and others. These laws aim to ensure fair competition by restricting the amount of priority a company can give to its own first-party services.
Apple will also argue that iMessage, its on-device messaging service exclusive to Apple users, shouldn’t be scrutinized by regulators.
According to Bloomberg, Apple’s legal team is preparing an assault against the provisions of the law. Apple’s appeal is reportedly still in draft form and could change before the Nov. 16 deadline to file challenges at the EU’s General Court.
Primarily, Apple is said to be focusing on iMessage not being large enough to count as a gatekeeper, in accordance with the law. It will also include a discussion about specifically what about the App Store needs to be regulated, and how.
In March 2022, the European Union published the Digital Markets Act. It went into effect May 2023.
In September, European Commissioner Thierry Breton said the Digital Markets Act is just the beginning, and Apple would need to open its whole ecosystem to competitors.
However, in the same month, Apple’s iMessage and Microsoft’s Bing were removed from compliance with the EU’s Digital Markets. Apple argued that its iMessage service is too small in Europe to come under the law’s conditions.