Spain Probes Apple App Store for Anti-Competitive Practices

Spain’s antitrust regulator, CNMC, is investigating Apple for allegedly imposing unequal commercial conditions on mobile application developers through its App Store. Apple denies any wrongdoing and pledges to collaborate with the Spanish Competition Authority. This investigation follows similar European Commission probes and a €1.84 billion fine for breaching competition rules.

Spain's antitrust regulator, CNMC, announced Wednesday that it has launched an investigation into potential anti-competitive behavior by Apple's App Store, allegations the tech giant firmly denies.

According to CNMC, Apple may have imposed unequal commercial conditions on developers of mobile applications sold in its app marketplace. Such practices could be a severe violation of competition law, potentially leading to a fine equating to 10 percent of Apple's global revenue.

In response, Apple stated, "Spanish developers of all sizes compete on a level playing field on the App Store," and vowed to continue cooperating with the Spanish Competition Authority to address their concerns. This probe follows two ongoing investigations by the European Commission into Apple's alleged breach of the Digital Markets Act and new fees imposed on app developers. In March, Brussels fined Apple €1.84 billion for restricting competition from music streaming rivals — the first penalty imposed on the iPhone maker for breaching EU rules.

(With inputs from agencies.)