Apple has accused the Competition Commission of India (CCI) of overstepping its judicial authority in a new court filing related to an ongoing antitrust case in the country. Here are the details.
Time is running out in India’s antitrust case
For several years, Apple has been battling the Competition Commission of India over an antitrust investigation that accuses the company of abusing its dominant position in the App Store. Apple has always denied these accusations.
The main point of contention between the two sides is how any potential penalties would be calculated.
Under India’s competition law updated in 2024, fines can be based on a company’s global turnover, rather than just local revenue. In Apple’s case, the company says that could amount to a $38 billion levy, which Apple has described as “patently arbitrary, unconstitutional, grossly disproportionate and unfair.”
Apple has repeatedly challenged the sanctions framework underlying this calculation and has asked the Delhi High Court to declare the 2024 law itself illegal.
The back and forth of Apple’s requests has led the CCI to become impatient. As 9to5Mac covered earlier this year:
Today, the ICC filed its own confidential order, accusing Apple of repeatedly requesting extensions that prevent the antitrust case from being concluded on time, and threatening to continue the case.
Nearly four months later, little seems to have changed. The CCI issued an ultimatum a few days ago demanding that the company disclose its financial information. In response, Apple now accuses the CCI of exceeding its judicial authority by demanding such documents.
As reported Reutersciting a non-public filing in India on April 24:
After the CCI this month gave Apple an ultimatum to submit its financial statements and scheduled a final hearing on May 21, the company urged the Delhi High Court to urgently intervene to stay the case.
“The commission’s decision to schedule a final hearing represents an escalation in its efforts to usurp the authority of the honorable court,” Apple said in the filing, in which it asked the court to hear the case on May 15.
Reuters said it contacted Apple and the ICC for comment, but neither responded at the time of publication.
To read Reuters‘ full report, follow this link.
To discover on Amazon
FTC: We use automatic, revenue-generating affiliate links. More.