EU to Apple: “No company… should unjustly discriminate customers based on…” – Times of India

The European Union (EU) has taken another action against Apple, ordering the tech giant to cease geo-blocking practices on its various media services, including the App Store, Apple Music, and Apple TV+.
“Today, following a coordinated investigation at European level, the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network of national consumer authorities and the European Commission notified Apple of several potentially prohibited geo-blocking practices that the CPC Network has identified on certain Apple Media Services. The network requested Apple to align their practices with the EU’s anti-geo-blocking rules,” said the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, in a statement.
Geo-blocking refers to the practice of restricting access to content based on a user’s location. The Commission identified several instances of potentially illegal geo-blocking on Apple’s platforms and threatened enforcement action by national regulators if the company fails to comply.
“We are stepping up the fight against geo-blocking. No company, big or small, should unjustly discriminate customers based on their nationality, place of residence or place of establishment,” said European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

What the Commission has found

The CPC Network found a number of limitations on Apple Media Services, key elements of which are as follows:
Online access: Apple Media Services have a different interface for different countries in the EU/EEA. In the app version of these services, consumers are only allowed to access the interface made for the country where they have registered their Apple account and face significant challenges when attempting to change this, which is not allowed under EU’s anti-geo-blocking rules.
Payment methods: When making paid purchases on Apple Media Services, consumers are only allowed to use means of payment (such as a credit/debit card) issued in the country where they registered their Apple account.
Downloading: Since the App Store does not allow consumers to access the version of another EU/EEA country, consumers are not allowed to download the apps offered in other countries. Consumers should be able to download apps offered in other EU/EEA countries when they travel to or temporarily stay in that country.

What next for Apple

Apple now has one month to reply to the CPC Network’s findings and propose commitments that will address the identified geo-blocking practices. Depending on Apple’s reply, the CPC Network may enter into a dialogue with the company.