According to a confidential report seen by Reuters on July 12th, an investigation by India's antitrust agency found that Apple had used its dominant position in the iOS app store market to engage in "abusive behavior and practices".
Since 2021, the Competition Commission of India has been investigating Apple for possible abuse of its dominant position in the app market by forcing developers to use its proprietary in app purchasing system.
Photo by journalist Zhang Jian
Apple denies any misconduct, stating that it only holds a small market share in India. In India, phones using Google's Android system dominate.
The investigation department of the Competition Commission of India stated in its 142 page report that Apple has a "significant influence" on how digital products and services are provided to consumers, particularly through its iOS platform and app store.
Apple and the Indian Competition Commission did not respond to requests for comment.
The US Department of Justice, in collaboration with multiple states, has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple Inc
CCTV News reported that on March 21st local time, US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced at a press conference that the US Department of Justice and the attorneys general of over a dozen states have filed antitrust lawsuits against Apple, accusing the company of monopolizing the mobile phone market by using its control over Apple's hardware and software, and harming the interests of consumers, developers, and competitor companies.
It is reported that the lawsuit filed by the US Department of Justice and 16 attorneys general in federal court in New Jersey claims that Apple's anti competitive behavior goes beyond its normal business scope for smartphones and watches.
Photo by journalist Zhang Jian
Garland stated that the Supreme Court defines monopolistic behavior as "the act of controlling prices or excluding competition". Officials from the Ministry of Justice also stated that they do not rule out using measures such as splitting the company to resolve this antitrust lawsuit.
Apple has stated that complying with regulatory requirements would incur significant costs, potentially preventing it from launching new products or services and potentially harming customer demand.
The European Union imposes a fine of 1.84 billion euros on Apple Inc
CCTV News reported that on March 4th local time, European Commission Executive Vice President and Competition Commissioner Vestager announced on social media that the EU had fined Apple 1.84 billion euros on the same day, citing Apple's monopolistic behavior in the streaming music business.
Vestager said that Apple has "abused" the dominant position of the Apple Store in streaming music software releases for the past 10 years, preventing streaming music software vendors from informing consumers that there are "other cheaper" paid music services outside the Apple ecosystem, thereby violating EU antitrust regulations.
When streaming music software providers provide services through the Apple Store, they are required to pay a commission of 30% to Apple, and cannot explain to consumers on Apple devices that the commission is included in the total price, cannot provide consumers with links to cheaper options, and cannot even inform consumers of other cheaper options through email.
The European Commission believes that Apple's actions may have resulted in many users of the Apple operating system paying "much higher" fees for streaming music services, as streaming music software providers need to pay "high commissions to Apple and pass them on to consumers".
Vestager said that Apple must allow streaming music software providers to "freely communicate" with users in the Apple operating system in the future.
Apple disagrees with this penalty decision and has stated that it will appeal. Apple stated that the European Commission "has not found reliable evidence of consumer harm, ignoring the competitive and rapidly developing reality of this thriving market.
Russian Federal Antitrust Service: Apple has paid a 1.2 billion ruble antitrust fine
According to the announcement by the Russian Federal Antitrust Service on January 22, Apple has paid off a 1.2 billion ruble antitrust fine on January 19.
It is reported that the Russian Federal Antitrust Service ruled in July 2022 that Apple Inc. of the United States violated Russian antitrust laws. On January 17, 2023, the Russian Federal Antitrust Service imposed a fine of 1.2 billion rubles on Apple Inc.
