Apple Alleges CCI Copy-Pasted Rivals’ Claims In Antitrust Probe

Escalating its battle with the Competition Commission of India (CCI), Apple has accused the antitrust regulator’s investigation team of “copy-pasting” allegations made by rival companies instead of conducting an independent probe into its App Store practices. 

As per a Reuters report, Apple has asked the CCI to set aside an antitrust investigation that found the company had abused its position in the iOS app ecosystem, arguing that the findings relied largely on competitors’ submissions rather than the regulator’s own analysis.

The company also rejected claims of market dominance, saying it holds less than 6% of India’s smartphone market, and warned that changes to its App Store policies could undermine its business model and deter investment in the country’s digital economy.

Inc42 has reached out to Apple for comments on the development. The story will be updated on receiving responses.

CCI Probe ‘Parroted’ Rivals’ Claims

As per the news agency, Apple, in its filing, claimed the Director General (DG), the CCI’s investigative arm, failed to independently verify allegations and instead parroted submissions made by complainants, including Match Group, PhonePe and Paytm.

“The DG made no effort whatsoever to independently verify or critically assess these statements, often parroting them verbatim,” Apple said. 

The company also alleged that the investigation “blindly replicated” a graphic from a 2024 European Union ruling against Apple despite differences between the Indian and European markets.  

The US-based company also argued that the CCI’s investigation relied heavily on material from other antitrust proceedings and said it was not given an opportunity to present oral evidence during the probe. 

The case is scheduled for a closed-door hearing before senior CCI officials on July 21. 

Long-Running App Store Dispute

The case stems from a 2021 complaint filed by Match Group and startup industry body ADIF, which alleged that Apple unfairly required app developers to use its own in-app payment system while restricting alternative payment options.

Last year, the CCI’s investigation reportedly concluded that Apple abused its dominant position in the market for app distribution on iPhones, describing the App Store as an “unavoidable trading partner” for iOS app developers. 

Apple has consistently denied the allegations and said it intends to challenge the findings.

Earlier this month, Apple agreed to submit its India-specific financial details to the CCI after months of disagreement over the information sought by the regulator.

The financial data will help the watchdog determine any potential penalty if it ultimately finds the company in violation of competition law. The Delhi High Court had also directed Apple to cooperate with the investigation.

In a separate development, Apple recently raised prices for several products in India, including MacBooks, iPads, Apple TV and HomePod devices, with CEO Tim Cook previously saying such increases had become “unavoidable” due to rising component costs. 

The company cited soaring global memory and storage costs, fuelled by the rapid expansion of AI data centres, as the reason for the price hikes. While iPhones have been spared, prices of the affected products have increased by 14% to 88%. 

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