Apple Again Loses, Dutch Regulator Fines Apple For Failing To Provide Third-Party Payments,

Apple has failed to comply at several points in the regulatory order in the Netherlands. (Photo;

JAKARTA - Apple was fined 5 million euros (IDR 81.2 billion) by the Dutch antitrust regulator on Monday, January 24 for failing to comply with an order to open its app store to allow dating app providers in the Netherlands to use alternative payment methods.

Apple on January 15 said it had complied with an order last December from the Consumer and Markets Authority (ACM) - but regulators said on Monday that Apple had not fully done so.

"Apple has failed to meet the requirements at several points," ACM said in a statement cited by Reuters.

"The most important thing is that Apple failed to adjust the conditions, so dating app providers still can't use other payment systems. Currently, dating app providers can only express their 'interest'."

Apple could not immediately be reached for comment on this. The company is appealing the ACM decision in December.

ACM said it had notified the company of its decision, and Apple would be subject to weekly fines ranging from 5 million to 50 million euros until the company complied.

Pressure on Apple to allow alternative payment methods continues to emerge in many countries. This is the impact when a South Korean court, won a lawsuit that forced Apple to open a second-party payment service in the app store.

Apple itself has always argued that the provision of third-party payment applications can open vulnerabilities in its systems. But that excuse did little to help them fight the court order.

After seeing success in South Korea, many countries followed suit. Unfortunately in Indonesia, the Indonesian government has followed suit. Apple in Indonesia is still free to impose all payments for application use through its platform.