Apple Halts Indian Antitrust Probe With Confidentiality Complaint

India's Competition Commission has recalled two investigative reports accusing Apple of antitrust violations after the company raised concerns about the disclosure of confidential commercial information (via Reuters).

apple india
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has withdrawn two key reports that alleged Apple breached local competition laws. The recall, which is highly unusual, comes after the company filed a complaint claiming that the reports contained sensitive commercial data that was improperly disclosed to its competitors, including Tinder-owner Match Group. The commission has not publicly detailed the exact nature of the confidential information in question, but it is believed to primarily concern financial data related to Apple's operations in India.

The reports were part of a prolonged investigation into Apple's practices in the Indian market, focusing on allegations that the company abused its dominant position in the app store market to force developers to use its proprietary in-app purchase system. The system, which charges commissions of up to 30%, has been a subject of scrutiny around the world, with regulators in Europe, Japan, South Korea, and the United States raising similar concerns about its impact on competition and market fairness.

Apple's defense in the case centers on its argument that it is a minor presence in India, where only 3.5% of the country's 690 million smartphones are iPhones, according to data from Counterpoint Research. Despite this relatively small market share, the CCI's initial findings suggested that Apple had exploited its position to the detriment of app developers, users, and other payment processors.

The recall is expected to delay the investigation by several months as the CCI undertakes the process of redacting the sensitive information and potentially reissuing revised reports.

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Top Rated Comments

Valen1 Avatar
14 months ago
Few countries are as corrupt and morally bankrupt as India. I managed a staff of 4,000 Indians on & off-shore for eleven years.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Newgoblin49 Avatar
14 months ago
Fellow indian here , can you explain the morally bankrupt part ?

Few countries are as corrupt and morally bankrupt as India. I managed a staff of 4,000 Indians on & off-shore for eleven years.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aidler Avatar
14 months ago
Apple can't stop these investigations and proceedings forever. Things like this only make regulators angrier and more determined.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
senttoschool Avatar
14 months ago
Antitrust - lol. Apple is 5% of the phone market in India.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H2SO4 Avatar
14 months ago

Fellow indian here , can you explain the morally bankrupt part ?
Don't bite.
There are PLENTY of similar example from countries all over the world. 'Westerners', (think politicians at the very least) have done just as much probably for just as long.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TechnoMonk Avatar
14 months ago

Constant lies with no remorse when confronted with the truth.
Most of the corporate US. And the lies when the corporates lay off people with no remorse.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)