A pair of civil rights groups have filed a complaint with European Commission antitrust regulators over the terms and conditions of Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) App Store, according to Reuters.
The complaint, filed by the groups Article 19 and Germany’s Society for Civil Rights, has alleged the business terms of the App Store, iOS and iPadOS operating systems “prevent and impede interoperability for small businesses with Apple devices,” the report said.
In the complaint, the groups highlighted the “stand-by letter of credit of 1M euros required from developers who want to develop apps for distribution in Apple’s App Store or who want to install a third-party app store as a native app in Apple’s iOS and iPadOS,” according to the report.
They are alleging it violates the Digital Markets Act, which is a set of European Commission rules designed to regulate tech giants such as Google (GOOG)(GOOGL), Meta Platforms (META) and Apple, which are labeled as “gatekeepers” to ensure “fair and open” digital markets.
According to UNESCO, Article 19 is “an international human rights organization that propels freedom of expression locally and globally to ensure all people realize the power of their voices.”
The Society for Civil Rights, or Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte, defines itself as a donor-funded organization that “promotes democracy and civil society, protects against disproportionate surveillance and advocates for equal rights and social participation for everyone.”
In April, the European Commission fined Apple €500M, or $581M, for allegedly breaching the DMA’s “its anti-steering obligation” regarding its App Store. Apple is challenging that fine.
Apple is also currently involved in its own suit against the DMA, challenging several articles and interpretations of the law in the General Court in Luxembourg.
Apple’s battle with Fortnite creator continues
In other App Store news, the longstanding civil feud between Apple and Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, continues to play out in federal courts.
Apple attorneys appeared before Judge Milan Smith Jr. in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Tuesday, contesting an order that forces it to open its App Store marketplace with alternatives for cheaper payment options, according to a report by Bloomberg.
The judge seemed receptive to Apple’s argument that preventing it from collecting commissions on in-app purchases could deprive the company of billions in revenue, which would be “quite a penalty,” the report said. Apple contends it should still be able to collect a “reasonable commission” when consumers buy digital goods for iOS apps outside the App Store.