German antitrust regulator opens door for curbs on Apple

BERLIN (Reuters) : Germany’s antitrust regulator has opened the door for measures to curb Apple after deciding that the U.S. tech giant’s market dominance makes it worthy of such measures, the body said in a statement on Wednesday.

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.