Apple first to be charged under EU’s DMA rules

Apple (NYSE:AAPL) was found to be in breach of the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA) by the European Commission.

The breach centres on Apple's App Store policies, which according to the EU, limit competition by preventing app developers from steering users to alternative purchasing options.

Preliminary findings of the European Commission, released on Monday, indicated that Apple's rules "prevent app developers from freely steering consumers to alternative channels for offers and content."

It followed an investigation that was launched in March, and Apple has 12 months to comply with the DMA regulations to avoid fines that could reach up to 10% of its global revenue.

Apple is the first company to be charged under the DMA rules, which came into force last year.

Other tech giants, including Meta and Google, are also being scrutinised.

In comments, Apple said had already made several changes to comply with the DMA.

"We are confident our plan complies with the law, and estimate more than 99% of developers would pay the same or less in fees to Apple under the new business terms we created," the company said​​.