Apple has been under intense scrutiny from various regulatory bodies around the world for several years. The cause? Alleged anti-competitive practices. After the European Union, South Korea and the USA, it is the turn of the Indian Competition Commission (CCI). According to a report from mintthe ICC is set to announce that Apple has committed antitrust violations with its App Store, and has already informed the Cupertino tech giant.
The noose tightens on Apple
The issue was initially raised by a group called “Together We Fight Society” (TWFS) in 2021, which filed a lawsuit against Apple’s App Store policies and fees. Last July, the Indian commission issued a preliminary ruling suggesting that Apple may be abusing its dominant position in the market for digital services and products.
However, Apple challenged the move, saying the CCI’s announcement revealed sensitive information prematurely. Although the report was not public, it was accessible to certain parties, including the TWFS group. Apple also accused the latter of not destroying the report after its disclosure and requested the CCI to withdraw the report and end the investigation, to no avail.
Sources familiar with the matter assure that the CCI concluded that Apple violated Indian competition laws by requiring the use of its own in-app payment systems. Although these findings have not yet been officially announced, Apple is already aware.
The timing of the official announcement and potential sanctions remains unclear. Apple is likely to argue that its market share in India is “insignificant”, suggesting that it does not have an abusive dominant position. However, like the measures taken against Google, the CCI could force Apple to authorize third-party payment systems on its App Store in India.
As always, Apple is expected to contest these findings, which could result in additional delay. But in the end, Tim Cook’s company will have no choice but to comply with Indian regulations. Good or bad idea in your opinion?
