The District Court of Rotterdam upheld the Dutch competition authority ACM's finding that Apple abused its dominant position in the App Store by imposing unfair conditions on dating app providers. According to ACM's initial findings, Apple required these apps to use its in-app payment system, banned references to external payment methods and charged high commissions.
The court agreed these restrictions limited developers' freedom of choice and constituted abuse under Dutch and EU competition law. The court also confirmed that Apple must now adjust the commission requirement as well. Failure to comply within six weeks will result in additional weekly fines. The ruling marks the first time a competition authority's finding of "unreasonable conditions" by a major platform has been upheld by a court.
(ACM – 16.06.2025)
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