Apple and Microsoft Want to Be Excluded From EU’s ‘Gatekeeper’ Definition

WebProNews
Apple and Microsoft Want to Be Excluded From EU’s ‘Gatekeeper’ Definition

Apple and Microsoft are arguing that their services should be exempt from the EU’s “gatekeeper clause,” arguing they are not big enough.

The EU passed the Digital Markets Act, labeling companies that meet user base and income thresholds as “gatekeepers.” Such companies will be required to allow their services to work with competitors. The bloc is set to release its initial list of gatekeepers this week.

According to Financial Times, via AppleInsider, Apple and Microsoft are arguing that their “flagship services” — iMessage and Bing, respectively — do not have enough users to qualify as gatekeepers.

It is conceivable that Microsoft may be able to successfully make that argument, especially given Bing’s distant second-place status in the search market. It’s less clear if Apple will be successful in making its case. The EU has a relatively low user base threshold to be labeled a gatekeeper, at just 45 million monthly active users. Even with the popularity of WhatsApp and other services in the EU, it’s hard to believe Apple’s iMessage doesn’t have at least 45 million users.

If the bloc decided iMessage does qualify as a gatekeeper service, Apple will be forced to allow third parties to work with iMessage. Google has been pushing Apple to adopt RCS in an effort to improve Android/Apple texting, but Apple has resisted all such calls.

The EU may finally achieve what Google has failed to do and help unify mobile messaging.

Apple and Microsoft Want to Be Excluded From EU’s ‘Gatekeeper’ Definition
Matt Milano

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