Overview

• On July 29, Spain’s Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia broadened its year-old inquiry into Apple’s App Store to include alleged mandatory pricing schedules for developers.
• The expanded probe will assess if Apple abused its dominant market position by enforcing uniform price tiers that restrict competition among app creators.
• This move follows a growing global push under EU competition laws and the Digital Markets Act, with similar investigations in Italy, Brazil and potential action in China.
• Under Spain’s competition law, a finding of unfair commercial conditions could trigger fines of up to 10% of Apple’s annual global revenue.
• Apple rejected the allegations, saying the App Store offers a safe platform and revenue opportunities for developers and pledging continued engagement with the CNMC.