GoKawiilApple has said that it could potentially be fined a massive $38 billion in an antitrust battle taking place in India after it refused to cooperate with the regulator. Yep, that’s billion with a B.
The iPhone maker has persistently refused to submit financial data required by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) after being found guilty of abusing its dominant position in the smartphone market …
The usual Apple antitrust battle, with a twist
Apple has faced antitrust legislation, competition regulator investigations, and lawsuits around the world. All of these essentially come down to the same issue.
Edge cases aside, the only way you can buy an iPhone app in most countries around the world is from the official Apple App Store. The company sets its own commission rates, and developers have no choice but to accept them if they want to offer their apps on iPhone. Many countries have held this to be an abuse of Apple’s dominant position in the market.
Apple argues that it isn’t a dominant player in the smartphone app market as a whole, as Android is a larger segment than iOS. In general, regulators have ruled that iPhone is a large enough market on its own to put Apple in a dominant position. There is, however, a twist in India because Apple’s market share there is still relatively low.
The twist in India
At the time the case began back in 2021, Apple’s share of the Indian smartphone market was just 4%, though it has since doubled to around 9%.
Additionally, the company is challenging the law in court and wants the regulator to suspend enforcement until that case has been heard. For that reason, it has refused to hand over the financial information demanded by the CCI.
Apple faces $38B fine as CCI hardens stance
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