Apple and Microsoft dispute iMessage and Bing EU ‘gatekeeper’ status
Title: Microsoft and Apple Seek Exceptions from New European Tech Regulations
Subtitle: European Commission to designate gatekeepers and impose competition rules on tech giants
[City], [Date] – In an attempt to secure exclusions from new European regulations, tech giants Microsoft and Apple are striving to keep their respective platforms, Bing and iMessage, unaffected. The regulations, formulated under the Digital Markets Act, aim to foster competition in the tech industry by imposing restrictions on designated “gatekeepers.”
Scheduled for release on September 6th, the European Commission is primed to unveil a list of gatekeepers, including Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, ByteDance, and Samsung. Once designated, these companies will be obligated to adhere to a set of interoperability and competition rules.
While Microsoft acknowledges that its Windows platform satisfies the criteria of a gatekeeper, the company argues that Bing’s relatively small market share compared to Google should exempt it from additional restrictions. Apple, on the other hand, is taking measures to enable third-party app stores and sideloading on iOS, but maintains that iMessage, with its alleged user base falling below the threshold of 45 million active monthly users, should not be obliged to interoperate with other messaging services. Although Apple has not officially disclosed its user figures, estimates suggest that iMessage could boast a billion users worldwide.
Under the Digital Markets Act, gatekeepers are granted a grace period of six months, until March 2024, to comply with the specified regulations. The European Commission will determine which segments of the companies’ operations should be covered by the regulations, further delineating their responsibilities.
The outcome regarding Bing and iMessage’s potential inclusion or exclusion from these regulations bears significant consequences for competition and market dynamics within the tech industry. Stakeholders eagerly await further developments on how these influential corporations will align with the European Commission’s vision for increased competition.
As Europe takes the lead in imposing regulations on tech giants, the effectiveness and ramifications of these measures will become increasingly evident in the months to come.
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