|
The Bundeskartellamt regulator has designated Apple a "company
of paramount significance for competition across markets", it
said.
"The company is - beginning with its mobile devices such as the
iPhone - the operator of a comprehensive digital ecosystem with
a high significance for competition not only in Germany, but
also in Europe and worldwide," said Bundeskartellamt President
Andreas Mundt.
On the basis of the regulator's decision, it can target
practices "that pose a threat to competition and practices and
effectively prevent them", he added.
Apple said it would continue to work with the cartel office to
understand its concerns but that it planned to appeal the
decision.
"The (cartel office's) designation misrepresents the fierce
competition Apple faces in Germany, and it discounts the value
of a business model that puts user privacy and security at its
core," an Apple spokesperson said in an emailed statement to
Reuters.
The German authority has already declared Google parent Alphabet
and Facebook owner Meta companies of paramount significance for
competition across markets.
(Reporting by Rachel More, Editing by Friederike Heine)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
