Apple Insider reported that a German developer and lobbyist filed a complaint with the European Union, claiming that Apple and Google had unfairly rejected coronavirus-themed apps.
While Apple is facing a lawsuit claiming to monopolize contact tracking applications, another developer accused Apple and Google of unfair competition. The new complaint states that this is an antitrust issue, and these companies reject any COVID-related applications, including games.
German developer Florian Mueller - he is better known as a legal issue lobbyist and blogger - reported that he submitted an app called "Corona Control Game" in November 2020. Both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store rejected it.
It is unclear whether the two companies formally told Mueller the reason for the rejection. We have been informed that Apple has previously stated that it will not allow any COVID-19 applications to appear on the App Store unless they are officially approved by the government and health departments.
According to Reuters, Google also responded that it will only approve authorized COVID-19 applications.
"The established goal ensures the credibility of health and safety information' does not justify a package of rules based on authorship or just a combination of categories and topics," Mueller argued in the complaint.
At present, Mueller has filed a complaint with the US Department of Justice and antitrust agencies in Australia, the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany. It is expected that further complaints will be filed in India.
At the same time, Mueller reported that he has renamed the app "Viral Days" and has been accepted by two app stores.
0 Comments