A group of Apple's critics - including Spotify, Match Group and 'Fortnite'
creator Epic Games - have joined a nonprofit group that plans to advocate
for legal and regulatory action to challenge the iPhone maker's App Store
practices.
Apple charges a commission of 15%-30% for apps that use its in-app payment
system and sets out extensive rules that apps must comply with to appear in
its App Store, which is the only way Apple allows consumers to download
native apps onto devices such as the iPhone.
Those practices have drawn criticism and formal legal complaints from some
developers.
The Coalition for App Fairness, structured as a nonprofit based in
Washington DC and Brussels, said it plans to advocate legal changes that
would force Apple to change.
Beyond Epic, Match and Spotify, other members include smaller firms such as
Basecamp, Blix, Blockchain.com, Deezer and Tile, along with developers from
Europe including the European Publishers Council, News Media Europe and
Protonmail.
Sarah Maxwell, a representative for the group who previously worked at
financial technology firm Blockchain.com and Hillary Clinton's campaign,
said the group was founded out of "a lack of hope that things will ever
change" and aims to recruit more developers.
"While it's great that we have the big names like Epic and Spotify in the
group, we're not speaking just for them," she said in an interview.
Epic is suing Apple over antitrust claims in a US federal court in
California, while Spotify has filed an antitrust complaint against Apple in
the European Union. Ms Maxwell declined to comment on how much funding the
Coalition for App Fairness has raised and from whom.
The group also laid out 10 'App Store Principles' it plans to demand,
including that "No developer should be required to pay unfair, unreasonable
or discriminatory fees or revenue shares."
Website:
https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2020/0924/1167266-apple-app-store/
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