Spotify Bites Back, Calls Apple Monopolistic [Full Text Of Statement]

UPDATED: The war of words between Spotify and Apple shows no signs of abating, with the streamer issuing its latest rebuttal calling out Cupertino as "monopolistic."  In a statement, Spotify said that "Apple’s response to our complaint before the European Commission is not new and is entirely in line with our expectations."

The battle began when Spoitfy filed a complaint with the European Commission over Apple App Store fees and practices.  Apple fought back and added an attack on Spotify for having "sued music creators after a decision by the US Copyright Royalty Board required Spotify to increase its royalty payments."

"This isn’t just wrong," said Apple. "it represents a real, meaningful and damaging step backwards for the music industry."

The full text of Spotify's latest statement:

Every monopolist will suggest they have done nothing wrong and will argue that they have the best interests of competitors and consumers at heart. In that way, Apple’s response to our complaint before the European Commission is not new and is entirely in line with our expectations.

“We filed our complaint because Apple’s actions hurt competition and consumers, and are in clear violation of the law. This is evident in Apple’s belief that Spotify’s users on iOS are Apple customers and not Spotify customers, which goes to the very heart of the issue with Apple. We respect the process the European Commission must now undertake to conduct its review,” and asked readers to refer to their website for details.