Apple files legal challenge to EU’s Digital Markets Act

LONDON (Reuters): Apple has filed a legal case contesting decisions taken by the European Commission under its recently-introduced Digital Markets Act, according to a post shared by the Court of Justice of the European Union on X.

The tough new legislation targets 22 “gatekeeper” services, run by six tech companies – Microsoft (MSFT.O), Apple (AAPL.O), Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O) Google, Amazon (AMZN.O), Meta and ByteDance’s TikTok.

The legislation aims to make it easier for people to move between competing services, requiring them to inter-operate their messaging apps with rivals and let users decide which apps to pre-install on their devices.

While details of Apple’s legal challenge have not been made public, Bloomberg News reported last week the company would challenge the inclusion of its App Store on the list of gatekeepers.

Fellow tech giants Meta (META.O) and TikTok had already filed appeals disputing the Commission’s decision to include their services.

In its appeal, Meta said it disagreed with the Commission’s decision to designate its Messenger and Marketplace services under the DMA. It did not challenge the inclusion of Facebook, Whatsapp, or Instagram.

Meanwhile, TikTok said its designation risked entrenching the power of dominant tech companies.

“Far from being a gatekeeper, our platform, which has been operating in Europe for just over five years, is arguably the most capable challenger to more entrenched platform businesses,” it said.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.