The French Commercial Court in Paris on Monday fined Apple €1 million for abusive App Store practices, reports Reuters. The court ruled that Apple imposed unfair commercial clauses on French app developers for access to the App Store.
The ruling is the result of a multi-year investigation by France’s consumer affairs and fraud watchdog (DGCCRF), overseen by the French ministry of finance.
French finance minister Bruno Le Maire says Apple and Google’s app stores take advantage of software developers. His investigation found that there are “significant imbalances” in the relationships between Apple and Google and the developers that sell apps on the App Store and Google Play Store, respectively.
Apple said in a statement that it will look into the court’s decision and will continue to work with French developers. The Cupertino firm said that it believes in “vibrant and competitive markets.”
We will review this French court decision closely and will continue working hard to deliver support for developers and a safe experience for users.
Through the App Store, we’ve helped French developers of all sizes share their passion and creativity with users around the world while creating a secure and trusted place for customers.
While the fine that Apple has been hit with amounts to a tiny slap on the wrist, it could potentially lead to App Store rule changes.
(Via MacRumors)