EU Closes Antitrust Probe Into Apple's Ebook App Store Rules

[MacRumors]

The European Commission has ended its antitrust investigation into Apple's App Store rules for ebook and audiobook apps, following the withdrawal of a complaint by an ebook distributor.

Originally launched in June 2020, the investigation was sparked by a complaint from Rakuten's Kobo subsidiary. Kobo had argued that Apple's mandatory 30% commission on App Store purchases made it virtually impossible to operate profitably while competing with Apple Books, which isn't subject to the same fee structure.

The probe examined Apple's requirement that developers use its in-app purchase system, and restrictions preventing developers from informing iPhone and iPad users about cheaper purchasing options outside the App Store.

Although this particular investigation has concluded, the Commission said that the closure does not indicate Apple's conduct complies with EU competition rules. Apple still faces scrutiny under both EU competition laws and the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which designates Apple as a "gatekeeper" and requires changes to its App Store practices.

The ebook investigation was one of three parallel probes launched by the Commission in 2020. In March 2024, the Commission fined Apple over its music streaming app practices.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: EU Closes Antitrust Probe Into Apple's Ebook App Store Rules

 

[chrono1081]

Pretty soon no one is going to have app stores to sell in. If you don't like to use a digital storefront that charges a fee, don't sell in a digital storefront. Create your own site at your own expense and sell that way, see how quickly it costs vastly more than that 30% fee.

 

[Dr McKay]

Apple should just buy the EU

 

[Glideslope]

Apple should just buy the EU

Premiums on Hazard Insurance will probably be cost prohibitive in a couple years.

 

[wanha]

It's true that Apple charges a commission to sell stuff through their app and book stores.

It's also true that they have spent billions of dollars creating, developing, maintaining, and marketing the platform.

How is this any different than how any other regular business operates?

Want to sell your candy bars at a supermarket or gas station that someone else built, maintains, and markets? Guess what, you have to pay them for it, and it is usually well above 30% and no one seems to think that's unfair.

Disclaimer: I understand that there are only two mobile operating systems and there needs to be scrutiny around them, as having such a structure lends itself to misuse of power. However, let's not forget that this is how literally every other company in all markets operate, too.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

The three people that use the Apple eBook store are breathing a sigh of relief.

 

[CarAnalogy]

The three people that use the Apple eBook store are breathing a sigh of relief.

Yeah I was thinking this was closed because Apple completely failed to make a dent in the market, especially these days, and doesn't seem to care at all. They don't even care enough to make the Books app decent to use.

 

[macfacts]

Pretty soon no one is going to have app stores to sell in. If you don't like to use a digital storefront that charges a fee, don't sell in a digital storefront. Create your own site at your own expense and sell that way, see how quickly it costs vastly more than that 30% fee.

That's the problem, apple forces you to use the apple app store if you want to sell digital goods for the iPhone, then takes a 30% cut.

 

[CarAnalogy]

That's the problem, apple forces you to use the apple app store if you want to sell digital goods for the iPhone, then takes a 30% cut.

Exactly, thank you. People are acting like the iPhone is an open marketplace with competition. It's not. I'm not saying right now that that is intrinsically good or bad, but it is clearly a fact.

This is what the Epic case got wrong in my opinion. And several other cases. The scope should not be mobile in general, the scope should be iOS specifically because Apple does completely control all software distribution on the platform, with zero alternative. And then they set arbitrary and capricious rules on top of that.

 

[I7guy]

Exactly, thank you. People are acting like the iPhone is an open marketplace with competition. It's not. I'm not saying right now that that is intrinsically good or bad, but it is clearly a fact.

Nor is the business model illegal, at least in the US. But you have one thing incorrect, there are multiple alternatives for many of the brands sold in the iOS App Store.

This is what the Epic case got wrong in my opinion. And several other cases. The scope should not be mobile in general, the scope should be iOS specifically because Apple does completely control all software distribution on the platform, with zero alternative.

If epic tried that the case may have just been dismissed.

And then they set arbitrary and capricious rules on top of that.

As does any other business owner.

 

[Ctrlos]

I would have preferred them to look at Apple's ebook DRM that prevents me extracting those purchases for use on other devices. Recall this is the same Apple that self-eliminated DRM from iTunes purchases way back when.

 

[chrono1081]

That's the problem, apple forces you to use the apple app store if you want to sell digital goods for the iPhone, then takes a 30% cut.

They built the platform why shouldn’t they benefit? You literally don’t need Apple Books to sell digital books.

 

[NMBob]

Apple should just buy the EU

Buy it, shut it down, and give the money back to the shareholders.

 

[nostradumbass]

Apple should just buy the EU

Not worth it. The EU parliament is being taken over by nazis funded by Russia, the US, China and middle east oil money. It's a den of thieves. They do a hundred distractions and fake regulations so the population doesn't realise they are being robbed daily by landlords and price gouging.

 

[MNGR]

Yeah I was thinking this was closed because Apple completely failed to make a dent in the market, especially these days, and doesn't seem to care at all. They don't even care enough to make the Books app decent to use.

Sorry for that. We purchase e-books from apple, not from Kindle or others.

 

[surfzen21]

Not worth it. The EU parliament is being taken over by nazis funded by Russia, the US, China and middle east oil money. It's a den of thieves. They do a hundred distractions and fake regulations so the population doesn't realise they are being robbed daily by landlords and price gouging.

This is accurate!

The bigger war is not kinetic but the repurposed idea of death by a thousand cuts, where the cuts fall into the category of ideological and economic warfare.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Sorry for that. We purchase e-books from apple, not from Kindle or others.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

They built the platform why shouldn’t they benefit? You literally don’t need Apple Books to sell digital books.

We hired builders to build our barn and chicken coop. Should the builder get a portion of the eggs our chickens lay? Of course they don't, because we own them. Same thing goes for my iPhone, I own it, yet the "builders" will get a cut for the life of the product.

Rant aside, I don't buy ebooks from Apple because I have zero interest in reading ebooks on a LCD, LED or OLED screen. It's either e-ink of paper, and the majority of my reading is still on paper.

 

[surferfb]

That's the problem, apple forces you to use the apple app store if you want to sell digital goods for the iPhone, then takes a 30% cut.

Almost as if the apps and digital goods sold on iPhone need to use Apple's intellectual property to function and be used, and Apple should be compensated for that use.

We hired builders to build our barn and chicken coop. Should the builder get a portion of the eggs our chickens lay? Of course they don't, because we own them. Same thing goes for my iPhone, I own it, yet the "builders" will get a cut for the life of the product.

You don't own iOS. You license it. If you didn't own the chickens inside the barn and coop you paid to have built, it would be entirely reasonable for the owner of the chickens to get a portion of the eggs.

 

[TechnoMonk]

Apple should just buy the EU

Not worth it. EU already started folding, wait for few months when US starts targeting EU companies for their shenanigans last few years. They will lay off American companies.

 

[omihek]

That's the problem, apple forces you to use the apple app store if you want to sell digital goods for the iPhone, then takes a 30% cut.

True for iOS, not for iPhone, and that difference is very important.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

True for iOS, not for iPhone, and that difference is very important.

and iPadOS, and VisionOS (lol).

 

[macfacts]

They built the platform why shouldn’t they benefit? You literally don’t need Apple Books to sell digital books.

to "sell" books, you need a reader app to read them, unless you want them to give them away for free with no drm.

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

To be fair regulation hasn't done a lot of good in this market at all.

The previous case against Apple in the US has left Amazon to dominate the market for ebooks and audiobooks. I don't think Apple really tries to compete.

 

[macconservative]

The three people that use the Apple eBook store are breathing a sigh of relief.

I haven't bought a book from Apple in probably 5 years. Most of my eBook purchases are Amazon