Apple ebooks antitrust investigation closed, likely because it was irrelevant

An Apple ebooks antitrust investigation being carried out by the European Union has been closed without reaching a conclusion.

The EU says the probe ended is because the complaint against the company has been withdrawn, but that’s likely because it had become irrelevant …

Apple ebooks antitrust investigation closed

An unnamed party which may or may not have been Amazon filed an antitrust complaint against Apple back in 2020, alleging that it was breaching EU competition law by forcing ebooks to be sold only through in-app purchase, and not allowing developers to point users to other places they could buy ebooks without Apple’s cut.

The EU opened an investigation, but says today that the complaint has been withdrawn and the investigation closed.

Following the withdrawal of the complaint filed against Apple by an e-book and audiobook distributor, the Commission has decided to close its antitrust investigation concerning specifically e-book/audiobook apps.

The Commission notes that this does not mean Apple didn’t breach competition law.

The closure of an investigation is not a finding that the conduct in question complies with EU competition rules. The Commission will continue to monitor business practices in the European tech sector, including those of Apple, both under the DMA [Digital Markets Act] and competition rules.

The investigation had become irrelevant

The Digital Markets Act had already obliged Apple to drop its monopoly on the sale of iPhone apps and in-app purchases. This of course applies to ebooks as well as everything else.

Whether or not Apple’s treatment of ebooks specifically broke competition law is thus irrelevant, because the EU had already concluded that the more general behavior of retaining a monopoly on the sale of iPhone apps and in-app content was illegal. Apple already responded by allowing third-party app stores (albeit in a way which is probably not compliant with the law), so there would be no point in continuing an investigation into one specific aspect of this.

Photo: 9to5Mac