In a sharpening dispute that highlights ongoing tensions between Big Tech and regulators in one of its fastest-growing markets, Apple has accused India’s Competition Commission of India (CCI) of exceeding its powers and attempting to undermine judicial authority.
According to a Reuters exclusive published today, Apple filed a non-public submission with the Delhi High Court on April 24, urging urgent intervention to halt proceedings in an antitrust case centered on the iPhone apps market.
The U.S. tech giant argues that the CCI should not proceed with demands for detailed financial information — data typically used to calculate potential penalties — while Apple is actively challenging the underlying Indian law governing such fines in court. Apple has warned that penalties in the case could theoretically reach as high as $38 billion.
“The commission’s decision to schedule a final hearing represents an escalation in its efforts to usurp the Hon’ble Court’s authority,” Apple stated in the filing, requesting the court hear the matter as soon as May 15.
The CCI had given Apple an ultimatum earlier this month and set a final hearing for May 21 after the company withheld the requested financial data. The regulator’s investigation previously concluded that Apple abused its dominant position in the apps market.
Apple maintains it is a relatively small player in India compared to Google’s Android ecosystem and has resisted providing the information on the grounds that the penalty framework itself is under legal challenge.
India remains a critical growth market for Apple. iPhone market share has more than doubled to around 9% in recent years, and the country is a key focus for the company’s expansion in emerging markets.
MacDailyNews Take: AGgain, India risks squandering a golden growth opportunity with Apple over a regulatory trifle in which the Cupertino company has done absolutely nothing wrong.
Apple in India isn’t a dominant behemoth crushing competition, it’s a company successfully earning its way in one of the world’s toughest, most price-sensitive markets by offering superior products that Indian consumers increasingly want.
Forcing changes to a proven, secure App Store model that benefits users with privacy, security, and a consistent high-quality experience — while enabling millions of developers worldwide to build thriving businesses — over complaints that largely echo global gripes from a few large players is yet another regulatory overreach. Apple has cooperated extensively is currently a small participant in India with no abusive dominance.
India has everything to gain by fostering an environment where innovative companies like Apple can continue investing, creating jobs, expanding retail presence, and driving premium economic activity. Alienating one of the world’s most successful tech firms over what amounts to standard platform policies that have fueled an entire ecosystem risks sending exactly the wrong signal to global investors and innovators.
Please help support MacDailyNews — and enjoy subscriber-only articles, comments, chat, and more — by subscribing to our Substack: macdailynews.substack.com. Thank you!
Support MacDailyNews at no extra cost to you by using this link to shop at Amazon.
