Spotify calls restrictions on Apple app store “An abusive power capture”

At an antitrust hearing in the App Store that took place today, Spotify and Match Group (the company behind Tinder) accused Apple of abusing its powers of “App Store” to disadvantage rival services, reports Bloomberg. Spotify’s legal director, Horacio Gutierrez, said Apple’s rules are “nothing more than an abusive seizure of power.”

“Apple is abusing its dominant position as guardian of the ‘App Store’ to isolate itself from competition and disadvantage rival services such as Spotify,” Horacio Gutierrez, Spotify’s legal director, told lawmakers. Apple’s restrictions on developers, he added, “are nothing more than a seizure of abusive power and a confiscation of the value created by others.

Spotify has had a permanent conflict with Apple since the debut of Apple Music. “Apple Music” is priced at $ 9.99, a price that Spotify can’t match because of Apple’s 30% discount, because it doesn’t leave enough room for Spotify to make money. Spotify has complained that it has no choice but to charge more for iOS devices and no alternative, as Apple does not allow it to offer alternative subscription or payment options in its app.

Meanwhile, Match complained that it wanted to add identity verification rules to increase the security of the application in Taiwan, but Apple would not allow it to do so. Match contacted an Apple executive, who allegedly told the company that he should be glad that Apple is not taking all its revenue. “You owe us every penny you made,” the Apple executive said.

The Applied Antitrust Hearing: Examining Competition in App Stores examines app stores and mobile competition and focuses on Apple and Google. Kyle Andeer, Apple’s compliance director, participated in Apple’s defense.

Andeer stuck to Apple’s standard talking points about how the “App Store” revolutionized software distribution and made it easier for developers to access new users. Andeer said Apple’s “Store App” rules are designed to meet privacy, security and performance standards.

Apple’s “App Store” rules are also facing an antitrust investigation by the US Department of Justice, and Apple is currently preparing for a confrontation over its “App Store” policies with Epic Games.