Indian regulator denies Apple's request to suspend antitrust report.
India's antitrust regulator, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), has rejected Apple's request to delay an investigation report that found the company violated competition laws.
India's antitrust body has rejected Apple's request to halt an investigation report that found the company violated competition laws, allowing the case to proceed, according to an internal order from the regulator obtained by Reuters. In August, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) had ordered a recall of the investigation reports after Apple claimed that the watchdog had disclosed commercial secrets to competitors, including Tinder-owner Match, in the 2021 case. These sensitive details should have been redacted.
The CCI instructed involved parties to return the reports and destroy any copies, subsequently issuing revised versions.
In November, Apple raised concerns that the main complainant in the antitrust probe, Indian non-profit Together We Fight Society (TWFS), had not complied with orders to ensure the destruction of the previous investigation reports. Apple requested that the CCI take action against TWFS for non-compliance and withhold the updated report. However, the CCI deemed Apple's request to delay the investigation report as "untenable," according to the order dated November 13.
Apple did not respond to Reuters' inquiries, and the CCI did not comment outside of regular business hours. Calls to TWFS representatives were unanswered.
The CCI's investigation had found that Apple abused its dominant position in the app store market on iOS, to the detriment of app developers, users, and payment processors. Apple has denied any wrongdoing, stating that it is a small player in India, where Android phones dominate the market.
The CCI's internal order also revealed that Apple has been instructed to submit audited financial statements for the fiscal years 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24. This is part of the process to determine potential monetary penalties in the case. Senior CCI officials will review the investigation report before issuing a final ruling.
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