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Dutch Antitrust Watchdog Fines Apple Over Payment Options, Again

 |  February 7, 2022

On Monday, the Dutch antitrust watchdog fined apple Apple 5 million euros for a third time for failing to allow software application makers in the Netherlands to use non-Apple payment methods for dating apps listed in the company’s App Store, reported Reuters

The Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has been levying weekly fines of 5 million euros on Apple since the company missed a Jan. 15 deadline to make changes ordered by the watchdog.

Related: Dutch Watchdog Says Apple’s Plans For Third-Party Payments Are Insufficient

Apple, which could not immediately be reached for comment, has twice published information on its own blog about changes it is making to comply with the Dutch order. However, the ACM said on Monday it was not receiving enough information from the US company to assess whether Apple was actually complying.

“ACM is disappointed in Apple’s behaviour and actions,” it said in a statement. It noted that Dutch courts have upheld its decision, which found that Apple’s behaviour violated competition law.

Apple is under pressure in many countries over the commissions it charges on in-app purchases, with the U.S. Senate approving a bill last Thursday that would bar Apple and Alphabet Inc’s Google from requiring users to use their payment systems.

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