Key facts
- Apple accuses CCI of 'copy-pasting' rivals' claims into antitrust investigation
- CCI probe focuses on Apple App Store practices and commissions
- Allegation raises questions about procedural independence of India's antitrust inquiry
- Reported exclusively by Reuters
Apple has formally accused India's competition regulator of copying allegations made by its rivals and inserting them into the official antitrust investigation against the company, Reuters reported exclusively, in what amounts to the most direct public challenge yet to the Competition Commission of India's probe.
The investigation by the CCI focuses on Apple's App Store policies — particularly its rules around in-app payments, commission rates, and restrictions on third-party app distribution — practices that have also drawn regulatory fire in Europe, the United States and South Korea. Apple's accusation is that the CCI did not independently develop its case but instead relied on submissions made by competing companies, effectively allowing rivals to shape a government regulatory action.
The allegation puts the CCI in an uncomfortable spotlight. Regulators worldwide have been scrutinising Apple's App Store as a potential abuse of dominance, but Apple's argument is that India's investigation lacks procedural integrity if its factual basis was drawn from adversarial third-party complaints without independent verification.
Apple has been investing heavily in India — ramping up iPhone manufacturing through Foxconn and Tata, and expanding its retail presence — making the regulatory environment here increasingly consequential for the company. The outcome of the CCI probe could force changes to how Apple operates its App Store in India, affecting millions of developers and consumers. How the regulator responds to Apple's procedural challenge will be closely watched by the broader tech industry.