Former star Martin-Luc Archambault’s music sync application Amp Me will pay a $310,000 fine to the Competition Bureau for misleading advertising.
“The Competition Bureau’s investigation revealed that between 2019 and 2022, Amp Me purchased positive reviews from third parties to promote its mobile application,” emphasizes the Competition Bureau in a press release published on Tuesday.
As part of a settlement, Amp Me will pay a penalty of $310,000, in addition to paying $40,000 to cover the FBI’s investigative costs.
“The Bureau concluded that these reviews created a false or misleading overall impression to the public and also influenced the ranking and overall rating of the application in the virtual Apple Store in the United States,” explains you.
Falsely free
According to the Competition Bureau, Amp Me gave the impression of being free when it was not. We mention that advertising on the Internet emphasizes its free nature in order to “promote its use”.
Amp Me is committed to ensuring that its business practices now comply with the law.
“The agreement registered with the competition court in the form of a consent has the effect of a court order and is valid for a period of 10 years,” specifies the competition office.
Amp Me fights back
Contacted by Le Journal, App Me said it disagreed with the competition office’s conclusions.
“Canadian users in particular were not affected by online store rating considerations. “In addition, this issue was proactively addressed almost two years ago, long before the investigation began,” criticized an App Me spokesperson.
“Regarding the claim that a minority of our marketing depictions suggest that the Application is “completely free,” as set forth in the Consent, the Company has clear policies that strictly prohibit such suggestions. The company has proactively communicated these policies internally and to its online influencers and actively sought to correct any inaccuracies when discovered,” he added.
“Furthermore, as stated in the consent, the company has always been transparent about its pricing and subscription terms. In particular, the application has always been free in Quebec. Amp Me is committed to promoting transparency with its customers and resolving this matter was a priority,” he concluded.