Exclusive-Apple accuses India of 'copy-pasting' rivals' claims in antitrust investigation

By Aditya Kalra

NEW DELHI, June 29 (Reuters) - Apple has accused Indian antitrust investigators of "copy-pasting" its rivals' claims and failing to decently behaviour its ain probe successful concluding the U.S. tech elephantine breached contention laws, calling for the findings to beryllium quashed, regulatory papers reviewed by Reuters showed.

The June 25 Apple submission, being ‌reported for the archetypal time, marks the sharpest escalation yet successful Apple's combat with the Competition Commission of India (CCI), wherever Tinder-owner Match and Indian startups are among its ‌opponents.

In 2024, CCI investigators privately issued a study saying Apple engaged successful "abusive conduct" connected the apps level of its iOS operating system, and wrongly mandated the usage of its outgo system.

Apple has denied the allegations. It said successful its ​submission that it was a "minuscule player" with an nether 6% stock of India's smartphone market, and the probe conclusions were built connected rivals' claims alternatively than connected the CCI's autarkic analysis.

Apple said immoderate "forced alterations to Apple's cautiously designed App Store could disrupt its integrated concern model," and argued against immoderate penalties and behavioural remedies that could unit it to alteration its approach.

"The imposition of remedies would make regulatory uncertainty and could deter investments successful India's integer economy," the institution added.

The CCI and its caput of investigations did not respond to Reuters queries. Apple besides did not respond to requests for ‌comment.

Similar arguments by different large companies person failed to sway the ⁠CCI. In 2023, Alphabet's Google argued successful its antitrust lawsuit that CCI's bid risked stalling its growth, but the institution was aboriginal forced to marque changes to the mode it promoted its Android system, which dominates the Indian smartphone market.

Senior officials from the CCI are owed to clasp a ⁠closed-door proceeding with each parties successful the lawsuit connected July 21.

'COPY-PASTING' ALLEGATIONS

In its submission, Apple drew up tables to reason the CCI probe squad had not done its ain investigation and alternatively indulged successful "copy-pasting" galore submissions from opponents successful the lawsuit specified arsenic Match, Walmart's Indian payments app, PhonePe, and Indian rival Paytm.

"The DG (Director General) made nary effort whatsoever to independently verify oregon critically measure these statements, often parroting them ​verbatim," ​Apple said.

Match, Paytm and PhonePe did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Apple besides said the CCI probe ​reports "blindly replicated" a graphic connected worldwide user spending connected mobile apps and ‌games from an EU ruling against Apple successful 2024, adjacent though India faced antithetic marketplace conditions.