Italian Court Cancels $169M Fine Against Apple, Amazon

An Italian court has overruled a $169 million (€173 million) fine that the country’s antitrust authority levied against Apple and Amazon.

That’s according to a report Monday (Oct. 3) from Reuters, which noted the figure had come down from the Italian Competition Authority’s original $225 million fine last year.

Read more: Italian Antitrust Authority Fines Amazon and Apple $225M+

As PYMNTS reported at the time, the fine was for alleged anti-competitive cooperation related to the sales of Apple and Beats products.

The ICA alleged that a deal struck between the two companies in 2018 meant that Apple and Amazon limited which sellers could resell those products on Amazon’s Italian website. The authority also argued the deal is in violation of European Union rules and affected competition.

Both Apple and Amazon denied the allegations and said they would appeal. Apple was not immediately available for comment Monday, and the Italian Competition Authority declined to comment.

An Amazon spokesperson told PYMNTS: “We welcome the Court’s decision. Our business model across Europe relies on the success of small and medium-sized businesses, and we will continue to work hard to provide a great selection from Apple, and the value and convenience that our customers love.”

See also: Amazon Antitrust Commitments ‘Appear Relevant’ to EU Concerns

Both companies have repeatedly faced antitrust cases in the U.S. and Europe. Last month, Amazon made attempts to appease European Union authorities in two investigations opened by the European Commission.

The first probe related to Amazon’s use of non-public seller data, while the other is connected to the way the Amazon Prime service and the Offer Display (previously known as the Buy Box) feature apparently favor the company’s own retail business, as well as marketplace sellers that use its logistics and delivery services.

Learn more: Report: DOJ Preps Apple Antitrust Suit

In its offer to settle the cases, Amazon pledged to stop using data on independent sellers to the advantage of its own retail business and committed to applying “non-discriminatory criteria conditions and criteria in determining the Featured Offer.”

In a speech last month, EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said that “the commitments offered by Amazon appear relevant to address the harm and have the potential to transform Amazon’s business model as a marketplace and retailer.”

Meanwhile, reports emerged in August that the U.S. Justice Department was readying an antitrust complaint against Apple and hoped to file the suit by the end of the year.

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