Apple To Face Lawsuit In EU Regarding NFC Chip

Apple has to expect a new antitrust lawsuit in the EU. According to an insider report, it is about the NFC chip in the iPhone and its restrictions on the payment system. Apple would have to open up to payment processing via third-party providers.

Reuters reports exclusively on an impending lawsuit against the US company Apple. As Reuters has learned from insider circles, the preliminary investigations have been completed. The iPhone manufacturer risks a hefty fine and could be forced to open its mobile payment system to competitors.

Apple’s NFC chip technology has been in the crosshairs of EU competition watchdog Margrethe Vestager since June last year. At that time, an official investigation into Apple Pay was launched. So far, however, nothing has been made public about the results.

Competitors Cannot Access NFC Payment

Initial concerns related to Apple’s NFC chip, which enables mobile payment on the iPhone, the conditions for using the Apple Pay mobile payment service in the apps and on the websites of merchants, and the company’s refusal to allow competitors access to the payment system. The European Commission has now narrowed its focus to the NFC chip, which only Apple Pay can access, according to one of Reuters’ sources.

The EU competition watchdogs are now preparing a so-called “statement of objections”. Presumably, Apple will not be confronted with the individual points of the antitrust lawsuit until next year, as the preparation will take that long.

Such documents usually set out practices that the regulator considers to be anti-competitive. The commission has already initiated three further proceedings against Apple. So far, no one has wanted to comment on the Reuters report.