{"id":80854,"date":"2024-06-19T16:52:32","date_gmt":"2024-06-19T16:52:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/19\/apple-could-be-fined-a-billion-dollars-a-day\/"},"modified":"2024-06-19T16:52:32","modified_gmt":"2024-06-19T16:52:32","slug":"apple-could-be-fined-a-billion-dollars-a-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/19\/apple-could-be-fined-a-billion-dollars-a-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple Could Be Fined A Billion Dollars A Day"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

Back in March, the European Union brought in new rules that were designed to stop companies like Apple and Google from blocking third-party companies running their own in-app item stores. This was supposed to carve a path for games like Fortnite<\/em> to be able to return to mobile, now they could run in-game purchases without having to use Apple or Google\u2019s own stores, and thus regain 30 percent of every purchase. But it may be the case that the EU thinks Apple still isn\u2019t playing fair, and could start imposing enormous<\/em> fines.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Kotaku Goes Hands-On At The Apple Developer Showcase<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The theory was, the EU\u2019s Digital Markets Act (DMA) would allow apps and games to run their own independent payment systems when it came to in-app purchases. Anything previously launched on iOS required that all payments go through Apple\u2019s own systems, and there the company would take a 30 percent cut every time. Companies like Epic very loudly argued<\/a><\/span> that such a system was deeply unfair, and while it\u2019s hard to pick a side between the greedy corps taking money off the apps, and the apps taking money off their customers, Epic was right that it was anti-competitive. The EU agreed, announcing the DMA in 2023, and bringing it into law this year.<\/p>\n

Read More:<\/strong> Thanks To New EU Rules, Fortnite <\/em>Is Coming Back To iPhones [Update]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

However, cheeky Apple immediately constructed its own loopholes, by technically allowing apps to run their own stores, but only if they paid a so-called Core Technology Fee<\/a><\/span> of \u20ac0.50 per install of their app. The charge only applied to companies with over a million installs in the previous 12 months, but it was obviously aimed at ensuring the company would still get its tithe. On its face is very obviously not in the spirit of the new rules.<\/p>\n

(It\u2019s also worth noting that surprise breakout success apps could be especially badly stung by this, suddenly discovering charges of \u20ac1 per every two installs of their viral product, plus an additional three percent fees for using iOS\u2019s payment processing software, and very quickly get in a whole heap of trouble.)<\/p>\n

Tim Sweeney was predictably unimpressed. In January, 2024 he described it as \u201ca devious new instance of Malicious Compliance.\u201d<\/p>\n