EU Court Upholds Apple's Obligation to Ensure DMA Compatibility

On 8 July, the General Court of the European Union issued a ruling in several joined cases in which Apple had challenged the European Commission's requirements based on the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The court sided with the Commission, confirming that the company is obliged to comply with the law's interoperability provisions.

Apple had argued that it should be exempt from a number of DMA requirements, chiefly those concerning the compatibility of its products and services with third-party applications and devices. The company put forward several grounds for such an exemption, but the court rejected them.

The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) and other organizations, which joined the case as third parties, appeared in support of the European Commission's position. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) welcomed the court's decision, calling interoperability one of the primary tools for countering monopolies.

In the EFF's view, it is precisely the compatibility of products and services that allows users — rather than device manufacturers or the market's largest players — to decide for themselves which application or service best meets their needs. The organization notes that Apple's closed ecosystem limits the options available to developers, users, and researchers.

The General Court's ruling is seen as a significant victory for developers and users in Europe. Confirming Apple's obligations under the DMA means that developers will gain more opportunities to distribute their applications, and users will have more ways to obtain them, no longer confined solely to Apple's official app store.

Source: EFF Deeplinks