Apple withholds data in India antitrust case, watchdog sets final hearing

By Aditya Kalra

NEW DELHI, April 20 (Reuters) - Apple has not submitted information sought by India's antitrust assemblage aft an probe recovered the U.S. steadfast abused its ascendant presumption successful the iPhone apps market, ‌prompting the watchdog to fast-track a determination connected penalties to a last proceeding adjacent month, an bid ‌shows.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) said successful an April 8 bid that Apple has not submitted details of its financials and its views ​on the probe since October 2024, and alternatively cited a abstracted lawsuit pending successful the Delhi High Court wherever the institution has challenged India's full antitrust punishment law.

The CCI typically requires fiscal accusation from companies to cipher penalties erstwhile they are recovered to person contravened the law.

Apple, which denies immoderate wrongdoing successful the case, has said it fears it could beryllium fined ‌up to $38 cardinal if the watchdog uses ⁠its planetary turnover to cipher penalties successful the case.

Apple has "been afforded capable opportunities to file" its objections oregon suggestions to the probe study and has besides "not submitted the requisite fiscal ⁠information," said the CCI order, which is not nationalist but was reviewed by Reuters.

Apple and the CCI did not respond to Reuters queries.

The Indian lawsuit is among the galore Apple faces astir the globe for alleged antitrust breaches. India is simply a cardinal ​market ​for Apple wherever its iPhones person an 9% marketplace share, compared ​to conscionable 4% 2 years ago, Counterpoint Research ‌says.

Although the CCI has fixed Apple 2 much weeks to record its responses, it has for the archetypal clip fixed a last proceeding day of May 21.

HEARING DATE SIGNIFICANT STEP

Lawyers said the mounting of a last proceeding day signals the watchdog is hardening its stance.

"Apple has the accidental close present to taxable its financials supported by an auditor's certificate and past reason connected quantum of punishment during the proceeding based connected these financials," said Gautam Shahi, an antitrust ‌partner astatine Dua Associates.

"In lawsuit it fails, its arguments connected quantum ​of punishment volition beryllium constrained accordingly."

The Apple lawsuit started mode backmost ​in 2021 aft a non-profit radical opposed Apple's practices. ​Later, Tinder-owner Match and Indian startups besides opposed Apple.

CCI investigators issued a study successful 2024 ‌that Apple exploited its ascendant presumption successful the ​apps marketplace by forcing developers ​to usage its proprietary in-app acquisition system.

Apple denies wrongdoing by arguing it is simply a tiny subordinate successful India, wherever phones that usage Google's Android strategy are dominant.