Apple Responds To Spotify’s Claims Of Antitrust Violations

Though the streaming wars have been largely bloodless so far, don’t be surprised if Tim Cook paints his face blue, shouts to the gods of historical inaccuracy and leads a charge into Spotify HQ at the next WWDC. The animosity between Spotify and Apple is getting rather serious, with Spotify accusing them of antitrust violations and Apple clapping back today.

Apple responded to Spotify’s objections over billing users through Apple’s billing platform, with their general counsel Bruce Sewell saying that the company was asking for “preferential treatment.”

In a letter first published by BuzzFeed, Sewell noted that all developers are subject to Apple’s rules if they want to use Apple’s marketplace.

“We find it troubling that you are asking for exemptions to the rules we apply to all developers and are publicly resorting to rumors and half-truths about our service,” Sewell wrote. “Our guidelines apply equally to all app developers, whether they are game developers, e-book sellers, video-streaming services or digital music distributors; and regardless of whether or not they compete against Apple.”

Apple rejected an update of the Spotify app because it did not use Apple’s billing system. The use of that system comes with a 30-percent service fee for Apple. Spotify argues that this fee would force them to raise their subscription cost to consumers, which would make Apple Music a more appealing streaming platform. The full response from Apple is available here.

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