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Brazil Watchdog To Investigate MercadoLibre Complaint Against Apple

By  |  January 19, 2023

Brazil’s antitrust watchdog CADE has begun investigating a complaint by e-commerce retailer MercadoLibre against Apple for alleged abuse of a monopoly in the distribution of apps for its devices, the regulator said on Wednesday.

The decision to open the investigation into alleged anti-competitive practices by Apple was taken last week based on the complaint filed in December by MercadoLibre, CADE said in a statement.

“Similar investigations are being conducted by antitrust authorities in other jurisdictions,” the watchdog said.

Read more: Mercado Libre Files Antitrust Suit Against Apple In Mexico & Brazil

MercadoLibre argued that Apple had imposed a series of restrictions on the distribution of digital goods and in-app purchases.

The South American company criticized the California tech giant for requiring developers who offer digital goods or services within apps to use Apple’s own payment system and stopping them from redirecting buyers to their websites.