It's being reported this morning that Apple Inc. is challenging a €1.8 billion ($1.9 billion) fine levied by the European Union for thwarting fair competition from music-streaming rivals, including Spotify Technology SA. According to Bloomberg, Apple "has filed a suit at the EU’s General Court in Luxembourg to topple the March decision.

The EU’s crackdown on Apple also included an order to stop preventing music-streaming apps from informing users of cheaper deals away from its App Store. 

The investigation was sparked by a complaint half a decade ago from Stockholm-based Spotify, which claimed it was forced to ramp up the price of its monthly subscriptions to cover costs associated with Apple’s alleged stranglehold on how the App Store operates. The European Commission, the EU’s antitrust arm, said it stands ready to defend all its decisions in court.

Silicon Valley firms have been on the receiving end of a campaign by EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager to tame their dominance through fines and regulatory actions, including a landmark new law — the Digital Markets Act.