As Channel News reported earlier in the week, Apple is both appealing a €500 million ($820 million) fine imposed by the European Commission in April 2025 under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and protesting what it sees as ongoing and heavy-handed regulation by the EU.

Apple executive Greg Joswiak recently accused EU regulators of wanting “to take the magic away of having a tightly integrated experience that Apple provides – and make us like the other guys”.

He also said of those regulators, “They’re undermining innovation, they’re infringing our intellectual property and they’re damaging privacy and security.”

The EU recently invited submissions for its first DMA review, with feedback closing on 24 September 2025.

In a public blog post accompanying its submission, Apple noted, “It’s become clear that the DMA is leading to a worse experience for Apple users in the EU… It’s exposing them to new risks, and disrupting the simple, seamless way their Apple products work together.”

Apple also says DMA compliance is delaying or limiting features for European users.

It’s pointed to iPhone Mirroring, Live Translation for AirPods and certain Apple Maps functions as examples of services that are on hold or modified in the EU while it works through new interoperability requirements.

Apple continues to argue those requirements raise privacy and security risks and lower the quality of the user experience.

If Joswiak and other Apple executives were hoping their very public lobbying would sway the regulators, it appears they will be disappointed.

Apple can’t afford to ignore the 27 nations making up the EU

The EU seems to have now rejected calls from Apple make the changes it suggested to the DMA, which governs what tech companies can and can’t do within a huge market made up of 27 nations.

An EU spokesperson this week said the Commission has “absolutely no intention” of dismantling or repealing the DMA, the 2022 law designed to curb the power of ‘Big Tech’ and improve competition.

France 24 has reported the European Commission, the executive branch of the EU, has “absolutely no intention” to abandon the law.

“Apple has simply contested every little bit of the DMA since its entry into application,” said EU digital affairs spokesman Thomas Regnier, who added he was “not surprised” by the tech giant’s complaining.

That noted, the battle between the US tech behemoth and EU has some way to run.

Apple’s appeal against its €500m fine will take months, possibly years, to resolve.

As always, there’s also the wildcard of President Trump to consider.

Trump has long advocated for US tech firms facing regulatory pressure and enormous fines, in Europe and elsewhere.

If Apple does enter into some type of partnership with Intel, now 9.9% owned by the American public, the US president might be inclined to bring even more pressure to bear on European political leaders.