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Following a coordinated investigation at European level, the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network of national consumer authorities and the European Commission notified Apple of several potentially prohibited geo-blocking practices that the CPC Network has identified on certain Apple Media Services, namely App Store, Apple Arcade, Music, iTunes Store, Books and Podcasts.
The CPC Network's action against Apple is led by the competent national authorities of Belgium (Directorate General for Economic Inspection), Germany (Bundesnetzagentur) and Ireland (Competition and Consumer Protection Commission), under the coordination of the European Commission.
Key elements of the coordinated action
The CPC Network found a number of limitations on Apple Media Services which, according to the network's assessment unlawfully discriminate European consumers based on their place of residence. Consumers face limitations when it comes to:
- Online access: Apple Media Services have a different interface for different countries in the EU/EEA. In the app version of these services, consumers are only allowed to access the interface made for the country where they have registered their Apple account and face significant challenges when attempting to change this, which is not allowed under EU's anti-geo-blocking rules.
- Payment methods: When making paid purchases on Apple Media Services, consumers are only allowed to use means of payment (such as a credit/debit card) issued in the country where they registered their Apple account.
- Downloading: Since App Store does not allow consumers to access the version of another EU/EEA country, consumers are not allowed to download the apps offered in other countries. Consumers should be able to download apps offered in other EU/EEA countries when they travel to or temporarily stay in that country.
Read the full press release.
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