CCI recalled an investigation report after the iPhone maker contested that antitrust body in its report revealed trade secrets to competitors
Competition of commission of India (CCI) has rejected the iPhone maker Apple’s request to halt an investigation against it. The antitrust body initiated an investigation against the iPhone maker after it found that the company violated competition laws, according to Reuters. The CCI accused Apple of misusing its dominant position and curtailing competition for app stores on its operating system, iOS, which impacted app developers and users.
“Apple’s request to hold the investigation report in abeyance was deemed untenable,” said the CCI in the order studied by Reuters.
The iPhone maker’s request came in November after it found that the key complainant in the case, a non-profit organisation, Together We Fight Society (TWFS) had failed to comply with the earlier direction of CCI to destroy an old report.
Earlier in August this year, the antitrust body recalled an investigation report after the iPhone maker contested that CCI in its report revealed trade secrets to competitors. Consequently, the antitrust body asked the parties in the case to destroy the earlier reports. Later CCI released new reports.
Why is CCI probing Apple?
The case dates to 2021, when TWFS alleged that Apple has misused its market dominance to benefit itself, which impacted its competitor's business as well as the users. Following this, CCI began its investigation into the unfair trade practices used by the iPhone maker.
The iPhone maker, on the other hand, contested that it's a small player in India, given that the country’s market is dominated by android users.
This isn’t the only case where Apple has been in the centre of controversy. Earlier, in June, the iPhone maker was in the news due to discriminatory practices employed by it while hiring women employees. A Reuters report published earlier revealed that advertisement released by hiring agents on behalf of the company between January 2023 and May 2024 mentioned a criterion that only unmarried women of specific ages were eligible for smartphone assembly roles. The company rejected the accusations.
A recent study by Reuters revealed that Foxconn has asked its hiring agents to remove the specific criteria, including age, gender and marital status requirements. Additionally, the company instructed the recruiters to drop its name from the advertisements.