ProtonMail founder: Apple uses monopoly to “hold all of us hostage” - Ars Technica

The developer behind secure email service ProtonMail today came out swinging against the way Apple allegedly uses its App Store to control access to iOS users and cut out competitors.

Apple, Yen claimed, is using its market power "to hold all of us [developers] hostage." Referring to the 30 percent cut Apple takes of any sales through its App Store as a "tax," he added that traditional analogies to retail space break down when it comes to software:.

Apple attempts to justify these fees by arguing that the App Store is no different from a mall, where companies seeking to offer their products must pay rent to the owner of the mall (in this case, Apple).

It is not illegal for Apple to own a mall and rent space, nor is it illegal for Apple to own the only mall.

ProtonMail is not the first to argue that Apple's 30 percent cut amounts to a tax that cuts unfairly into other firms' revenue and makes it harder to compete against Apple's first-party apps.

This behavior is not only illegal, Yen wrote, but "leveraging this power to suppress digital freedom is simply unethical, and it is long overdue that somebody called out Apple for this behavior.".

Spotify filed an antitrust complaint against Apple with European regulators in March 2019.

The European Commission's preliminary investigation found "concerns that Apple's restrictions may distort competition for music streaming services on Apple's devices," and last month the EU formally opened a deeper probe into Apple's App Store and its Apple Pay payment system.