The iPhone maker has been in European Union antitrust chief
Margrethe Vestager's crosshairs since June last year when she launched an
investigation into Apple Pay.
Preliminary concerns were Apple's NFC chip which enables
tap-and-go payments on iPhone handsets, its terms and conditions on how mobile
payment service Apple Pay should be used in merchants' apps and websites, and
the company's refusal to allow rivals access to the payment system.
The European Commission has since narrowed its focus to just
the NFC chip, which can only be accessed by Apple Pay, one of the sources said.
The EU competition enforcer is now preparing a charge sheet
known as a statement of objections, which could be sent to Apple next year, one
of the sources said. Such documents typically set out practices considered
anti-competitive by the regulator.
The Commission, which has three other cases against Apple,
declined to comment. It can fine companies up to 10 percent of their global
turnover for violating EU rules, which based on Apple's 2020 revenue could come
to $27.4 billion.
Apple, which has cited privacy and safety issues for its
policy on Apple Pay, was not immediately available for comment.
Apple's shares were down 1 percent at $139.6 in early trade.
NFC-enabled payments have grown in popularity due in part to
the COVID-19 pandemic. Apple Pay's wide reach and superior consumer experience
on a mobile website or in-store give it a competitive edge over rivals,
according to some analysts.
Apple Pay is also on the radar of other regulators and
authorities. South Korea approved a bill last month that bans major app store
operators, including Apple, from forcing software developers to use their
payment systems.
Germany in 2019 passed a law requiring Apple to open its
mobile payments system to rivals for a reasonable fee.
In the same year the Dutch competition watchdog kicked off
an investigation into the App Store and the requirement that app developers use
its payment systems for in-app purchases and pay a 30 percent fee in the first
year. -Reuters
0 comments:
Post a Comment