Apple accuses India's antitrust body of copy-pasting rival claims

Apple has accused India's antitrust investigators of copy-pasting claims from its rivals in a competition case. The tech giant is seeking to quash the findings and has been at loggerheads with the CCI over in-app purchase policies.

In what could be the latest flashpoint between Apple and India's Competition Commission of India, the tech giant has accused the antitrust investigators of copy-pasting claims of its rivals, according to a Reuters report.

The submissions by Apple raised concerns around the investigations and have asked for the quashing of the findings in a case of breach of competitive laws. The company said that the investigators, instead of relying on their own analysis, have used some of the claims made by opponents. "The DG (Director General) made no effort whatsoever to independently verify or critically assess these statements, often parroting them verbatim," Apple said, according to the Reuters report.

Ongoing Tussle with Antitrust Regulator

Apple and India's antitrust regulator have been at loggerheads as the latter found the iPhone maker to have breached competition laws related to in-app purchases on its iOS platform. An investigation conducted by the regulator in the case that dates back to 2021 found that Apple had exploited its dominant position in the app store market and engaged in "in abusive conduct and practices".

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has accused Apple of stalling the case by challenging the penalty law in the Delhi High Court. The company said that the legislation allows global turnover to be used for calculating penalties for breaches that have occurred in India, leading to disproportionate fines.

The Core of the Dispute

At the core of the dispute is a challenge mounted by a coalition of Indian startups that has accused Apple of binding them to its app store ecosystem through in-app purchases and not allowing any other alternative.

Apple has said that it is a minuscule player in the Indian market for app stores and could face stiff penalties, calling them disproportionate. (ANI)

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