The US House has requested Spotify detail any allegations of anti-competitive behaviour from Apple, Reuters reported on Friday. The firm had filed a complaint with the European Union earlier this year, but there were no reports of stateside investigations until now.
Spotify’s service directly competes with Apple’s own built-in Music service, something which has served to rankle the company especially with Apple Music’s advantages over Spotify on iPhones and Macs.
In a blog post explaining his grievances with the iPhone company, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek asked for the following:
- First, apps should be able to compete fairly on the merits, and not based on who owns the App Store. We should all be subject to the same fair set of rules and restrictions—including Apple Music.
- Second, consumers should have a real choice of payment systems, and not be “locked in” or forced to use systems with discriminatory tariffs such as Apple’s.
- Finally, app stores should not be allowed to control the communications between services and users, including placing unfair restrictions on marketing and promotions that benefit consumers.
The US investigation will likely hear a variation of the same request from Mr. Ek.
Source: Reuters