Apple takes on EU’s big tech law in fiercest legal challenge yet
The iPhone maker slams the Digital Markets Act as “intrusive” and “anti-competitive,” arguing it undermines user privacy, intellectual property, and free market rights as Brussels defends curbs on Apple’s “walled garden” dominance.
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Apple Inc. has reportedly mounted its most aggressive legal challenge yet against the European Union’s sweeping Digital Markets Act (DMA), arguing that the bloc’s landmark competition rules for Big Tech unfairly target the iPhone maker and violate its rights within the EU’s single market.
Appearing before the General Court in Luxembourg on October 21, Apple’s lawyer Daniel Beard reportedly denounced the DMA as a law that “imposes hugely onerous and intrusive burdens,” claiming it disregards fundamental principles of property, privacy, and innovation.
The Digital Markets Act, which came into force in 2023, was designed to rein in the dominance of global technology giants by forcing them to open up their platforms and services to competitors. However, the law has sparked diplomatic friction between Brussels and Washington - with even U.S. President Donald Trump criticizing its reach and triggered multiple lawsuits from the firms it governs.
Apple’s challenge attacks the law on three main fronts: first, that interoperability requirements forcing its iPhone to work seamlessly with rival hardware like earbuds and smartwatches threaten user privacy and intellectual property; second, that the App Store should not fall under the DMA’s definition of a “core platform service”; and third, that the EU’s decision to examine whether iMessage should be regulated under the law was unjustified, given it generates no direct revenue for Apple.
EU Commission lawyer Paul-John Loewenthal countered that Apple’s “absolute control” over its ecosystem gives it “supernormal profits” and an unfair advantage in related markets. “Only Apple has the keys to that walled garden,” he told the court, arguing that such control locks in over a third of Europe’s smartphone users.
The case underscores the growing tension between European regulators and Silicon Valley over market access, platform neutrality, and consumer choice. Apple’s opposition also follows a €500 million fine earlier this year for alleged App Store violations, and a separate €1.8 billion penalty under traditional antitrust rules for restricting music streaming competitors.
In recent years, the EU has imposed more than €9.5 billion in fines against Google and ordered Apple to repay €13 billion in back taxes to Ireland, underscoring the bloc’s determination to curb the power of tech giants.
