Match Group Celebrates Dutch Court Decision to Curb in-App Apple Payments

FORTUNE - Match Group's CEO Shar Dubey has long argued the in-app payment policies that force app developers to exclusively use these payment systems were unfair. Apple's in-store payment policies, which take commissions that range between 15% and 30%, have long drawn complaints from app developers, who first filed their complaint to the Dutch court in 2019. The case was later whittled down to just cover dating apps. As 98% of users download Match Group's apps from either the Apple or Google app stores - which Dubey refers to as the "gatekeepers of the Internet" - the commission creamed off the top has forced Match Group to increase prices for consumers and has prevented it from making investments in the business. This year alone, Match Group expects to pay transaction fees of ~$500M to Apple and Google; it is currently looking to build an alternative-payment option.