Dutch watchdog fines Apple over App Store payment options

The Dutch consumer watchdog fined Apple five million euros ($5.6 million) on Monday for failing to allow dating app operators to choose payment options other than its own Apple Pay system in its Dutch App Store.

The Authority for Consumers and Markets had already warned Apple last month that it faced a penalty of five million euros per week — and a maximum fine of 50 million euros in total — if it failed to change the conditions for access to the Dutch App Store.

“In the App Store, dating app providers must also be able to use payment systems other than Apple’s payment system,” the watchdog had said at the time.

And a Dutch judge had given Apple until January 15 to make the changes.

Apple last week told the ACM that it had made the necessary adjustments, but its submission was turned down and a fine imposed.

Apple “failed to adjust its conditions, as a result of which dating app providers are still unable to use other payment systems,” the ACM said in a statement on Monday.

In November, a US federal court had ordered Apple to loosen control of its App Store payment options after a legal clash with Fortnite creator Epic Games, which had accused the iPhone maker of operating a monopoly in its shop for digital goods or services.

The US judge, however, said Epic had failed to prove that antitrust violations had taken place.

Also in November, Italy fined both Amazon and Apple more than 200 million euros for preventing official and unofficial resellers of Apple and Beats products from using Amazon.it.

Apple did not immediately comment on the ACM statement on Monday.

jhe/spm