Apple refuted Spotify‘s complaints that its App Store creates unfair competition, saying the music streaming company’s goal is to “make more money off others’ work.”
Spotify filed a complaint with the European Commission earlier this week, claiming the App Store deprives consumers of choice and imposes unfair fees on competitors, giving its Apple Music service an advantage over rivals.
In statement published Thursday, Apple said Spotify is seeking all the benefits of a free app, without being free.
“Spotify wouldn’t be the business they are today without the App Store ecosystem, but now they’re leveraging their scale to avoid contributing to maintaining that ecosystem for the next generation of app entrepreneurs. We think that’s wrong,” Apple said in the statement.
Spotify’s complaint centers around a 30 percent fee Apple charges most in-app purchases made through the App Store. The Sweden-based music streaming company said Wednesday the fees make it impossible to keep its prices competitive with Apple Music.
In its statement, Apple slammed Spotify’s “misleading rhetoric” about the App Store, saying underneath the claims its aim is “to make more money off others’ work.” Apple also said Spotify’s complaint that it had been blocked from products like Apple Watch were “especially surprising.”
“The only time we have requested adjustments is when Spotify has tried to sidestep the same rules that every other app follows,” Apple’s statement said.
This story is developing. Check back for more updates
