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Apple Accuses India Regulator of Copying Rivals' Claims in Antitrust Probe

inc42.com@market_structure2 hours ago·Technology Policy·1 comments

Apple alleges CCI's antitrust investigation plagiarized rival complaints, citing a verbatim graphic from an EU ruling and less than 6% iPhone market share in India.

applecompetition commission of indiaapp storeantitrustmatch groupindia

Apple just told India's competition regulator it copy-pasted its rivals' complaints. In a filing reported by Reuters, Apple alleges the Director General (DG) of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) "parroted" submissions from Match Group, PhonePe, and Paytm verbatim, making "no effort whatsoever to independently verify or critically assess these statements."

The EU Graphic That Exposed the Cut-and-Paste Job

The DG's report didn't stop at lifting text. Apple claims the investigation "blindly replicated" a graphic from a 2024 European Union ruling against Apple, despite the Indian and European mobile markets having fundamentally different competitive dynamics. A regulator that can't find its own chart probably can't build an independent case.

Why 6% Market Share Matters Here

Apple rejects the premise of dominance outright. Its iPhone holds less than 6% of India's smartphone market — a number that makes the "unavoidable trading partner" label the CCI used sound like fiction. If you're a developer targeting India, Android is the unavoidable platform, not iOS. The 2021 complaint from ADIF and Match Group centered on Apple's requirement to use its in-app payment system, but Apple argues the investigation never bothered to verify whether its position actually gave it the power to harm competition.

What Developers Should Watch For

The CCI's investigative arm concluded last year that Apple abused its dominant position. Now the full commission will hear Apple's objections in a closed-door hearing scheduled for July 21. Apple has already been forced to submit India-specific financial data after a Delhi High Court order, which will determine the size of any eventual penalty. Separately, Apple just raised prices on MacBooks, iPads, and Apple TVs in India by 14-88%, citing component cost inflation from AI data center demand — a reminder that the company is making hard business calculations about the market regardless of the regulatory outcome.

If the CCI rules against Apple, the impact won't be limited to India. A precedent that forces Apple to open its payment system on a 6%-share platform would embolden regulators in other markets where Apple's position is even weaker.

Source: Apple Alleges CCI Copy-Pasted Rivals' Claims In Antitrust Probe
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