India Officially Launches Apple App Store Probe

India’s competition watchdog, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), wants to look into Apple over reported violations of antitrust law, according to a Reuters report Friday, December 31.

The order comes as a nonprofit group, “Together We Fight Society,” claimed that Apple had been forcing developers to use its in-app purchase system, a violation of its dominant position in the apps markets.

The complainant also claimed that Apple’s 30% in-app fee on the distribution of paid digital content had been harming competition.

They feel that by restricting competition on in-app developers and customers, Apple had been putting barriers up to market entry, including for possible app developers and distributors.

In an earlier filing, Apple denied the allegations, stating it wanted the regulator to throw the case out. Apple stated its Indian market share was between 0-5%, which it called “insignificant.”

However, CCI stated Apple’s arguments were misdirected and that the allegations concerned anti-competitive restrictions on app developers, rather than end-users.

Apple, along with other tech giants, has been facing adversity from numerous countries around the globe as of late.

Read more: Indian Watchdog Probes Apple Over App Market Abuse

Martijn Snope, chairman of the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), said the app providers could often be dependent on the App Store. Apple, he said, had unique responsibilities in that regard.

“That is what we are forcing Apple to do with this order,” he said. “Protecting people and businesses against abuse of market power in the digital economy is one of our most important duties.”

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