The cases had established the European Union as the world’s leading tech watchdog, but have since raised questions about its protracted appeals process.

The first focus of the DMA compliance initiative announced today is iOS. In particular, the EU will scrutinize a set of iOS features that consumers use to link their iPhones with connected devices. Officials will inform Apple how to implement those features in a DMA-compliant manner.

The goal of many small businesses is to grow as large as possible, but Google's and Apple's legal woes remind us that throwing your weight around as a market giant can have costly consequences.