Apple Thursday made changes to its App Store European policies, saying it believes the new rules will help the company avoid a fine of 500 million euro ($585 million) from the EU for violating the Digital Markets Act.
The new policies are a complicated system of fees and programs for app makers, with some developers now paying three separate fees for one download. Apple also is going to introduce a new set of rules for all app developers in Europe, which includes a fee called the "core technology commission" of 5% on all digital purchases made outside the App Store.
The changes Apple announced are not a complete departure from the company's previous policy that drew the European Commission's attention in the first place.
Apple said it did not want to make the changes but was forced to by the European Commission's regulations, which threatened fines of up to 50 million euros per day. Apple said it believed its plan is in compliance with the DMA and that it will avoid fines.
"The European Commission is requiring Apple to make a series of additional changes to the App Store," an Apple spokesperson said in a statement. "We disagree with this outcome and plan to appeal."
A spokesperson for the European Commission did not say that Apple was no longer subject to the fine. He said in a statement that the EC is looking at Apple's new terms to see if the company is in compliance.
"As part of this assessment the Commission considers it particularly important to obtain the views of market operators and interested third parties before deciding on next steps," the spokesperson said in a statement.
The saga in Brussels is the latest example of Apple fiercely defending its App Store policies, a key source of profit for the iPhone maker through fees of between 15% and 30% on downloads through its App Store.
It also shows that Apple is continuing to claim it is owed a commission when iPhone apps link to websites for digital purchases overseas despite a recent court ruling that barred the practice in the U.S.