Apple accuses CCI of ‘copy-pasting’ rivals’ claims in antitrust probe

Apple ↗ 4.84% has accused Indian antitrust investigators of "copy-pasting" allegations made by its rivals and failing to conduct an independent investigation before concluding the company violated competition laws, according to Reuters, which reviewed confidential regulatory filings submitted on June 25.x+1

The submission marks the sharpest escalation in Apple's fight with the Competition Commission of India (CCI), where the company faces allegations of abusing its dominant position in the iOS app store market by mandating the use of its proprietary in-app payment system.

Apple's Defense

In its filing, Apple drew up tables to argue the CCI's investigation team had not performed its own analysis, instead relying on submissions from opponents including Match Group, Walmart's Indian payments app PhonePe, and Indian rival Paytm.etnownews+1

"The DG made no effort whatsoever to independently verify or critically assess these statements, often parroting them verbatim," Apple said in its submission, according to Reuters. The company also argued that investigators "blindly replicated" a graphic on worldwide consumer spending from a 2024 EU ruling against Apple, despite India facing different market conditions.wtaq

Apple described itself as a "minuscule player" with under 6% of India's smartphone market, and warned that "forced alterations to Apple's carefully designed App Store could disrupt its integrated business model".wtaq

A Pattern of Pushback

The copy-pasting accusation echoes a similar argument made by Alphabet's ↘ 0.48% Google in 2023, when it alleged Indian investigators had copied parts of a European ruling in its Android antitrust case. The CCI denied that claim at the time, stating, "We have not cut, copy and pasted".reuters+1

Google's arguments ultimately failed to prevent the CCI from forcing changes to how it promoted its Android system in India.

What Comes Next

The CCI has accused Apple of stalling the case for more than two years by withholding responses and pursuing a parallel legal challenge to India's antitrust penalty law, which allows fines of up to 10% of a company's turnover. Apple has since submitted its India-specific financials for fiscal years 2022–24, which the CCI uses to calculate penalties.reuters+2

Senior CCI officials are due to hold a closed-door hearing with all parties on July 21. The Delhi High Court has separately ordered the CCI not to issue a final ruling before July 15. Apple argued that mitigating factors should be considered in any penalty, including its "unblemished record" and $51 billion in iPhone exports from India over five years.wtaq+2