In June, a Dutch court affirmed an earlier antitrust judgment against Apple related to dating applications and the App Store commission. The matter is currently on hold as the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) anticipates the results of Apple’s discussions with the European Commission concerning the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
### A Bit of Context
The ACM was the one to initiate the case against Apple, alleging that the company imposed “unreasonable conditions” within its App Store by enforcing a 30% in-app purchase (IAP) fee and blocking external payment methods. While Apple consented to alter its payment policies for dating apps in the Netherlands, it faced a €50 million penalty for failing to comply, which the company contested. Last month, the appeal was dismissed, leading to the court’s decision to sustain the antitrust ruling.
### Today
As reported by Reuters, the ACM stated it has deferred a decision regarding Apple’s fees for dating app providers as it awaits the outcome of the ongoing negotiations between Apple and the European Commission about related matters. Previous reports suggested that the EU is inclined to approve Apple’s updated App Store regulations, potentially bringing a resolution to a protracted disagreement.
The ACM’s choice to delay the ruling indicates that it may either find Apple’s recent modifications, which introduced new commission structures and fees, acceptable, or it is waiting for the finalization of these alterations before deciding on its future actions.
