The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has reportedly given Apple a final warning after more than a year of delayed responses in an ongoing antitrust investigation. Here are the details.
India warns Apple on antitrust case delays
As reported by Reuters, the CCI filed a confidential order on December 31, decrying what it described as Apple’s repeated requests for extensions in an antitrust investigation stemming from a 2022 complaint filed by Match and several Indian startups.
In 2024, Indian investigators concluded that Apple had engaged in abusive conduct in the iOS apps market, and asked the company to respond with objections and key financial details.
Since then, both sides have been locked in a legal back-and-forth, which led to a stalemate over how the potential fine should be calculated.
As Reuters explains it:
Apple has said it fears it could be fined up to $38 billion if India’s competition watchdog uses its global turnover calculation for penalties, after an investigation found it had abused its position on its app store. Apple, which denies the allegations, has challenged the penalty rules in an Indian court, and the matter is pending.
Following the challenge, Apple reportedly privately sought to pause the entire case until the matter was resolved, a request that the CCI rejected.
Now, the CCI has filed its own confidential order, accusing Apple of repeatedly seeking extensions that impede the timely conclusion of the antitrust proceedings, and threatening to proceed with the case.
From Reuters:
The watchdog said it asked Apple in October 2024 to file objections to the investigation’s findings and provide financial details typically used to assess penalties, but the company has received “repeated extensions” since then.
“The Commission is of the considered view that repeated extensions, despite unambiguous directions, undermine procedural discipline and impede the timely conclusion of proceedings,” CCI noted in its order, seen by Reuters.
“Such indulgence cannot be continued indefinitely,” it added, giving Apple a final warning that it will proceed in the case unilaterally if no response is received by next week.
The report also states that Apple intends to hold off on responding until judges hear the case, scheduled for January 27.
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