India warns Apple it will proceed with antitrust case after company plays for time

NEW DELHI: India has issued a final warning to Apple that it will proceed in an antitrust case against the U.S. tech giant as the company has delayed responses to officials for over a year and undermined the investigation, a confidential order shows.

Apple has said it fears it could be fined up to $38 billion if India’s competition watchdog uses its global turnover calculation for penalties, after an investigation found it had abused its position on its app store. Apple, which denies the allegations, has challenged the penalty rules in an Indian court, and the matter is pending.

While the Delhi High Court is still hearing that challenge, a confidential December 31 order from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) shows Apple privately sought to pause the entire case while the penalty-rules dispute is before the court. The CCI rejected the request.

The watchdog said it asked Apple in October 2024 to file objections to the investigation’s findings and provide financial details typically used to assess penalties, but the company has received “repeated extensions” since then.

“The Commission is of the considered view that repeated extensions, despite unambiguous directions, undermine procedural discipline and impede the timely conclusion of proceedings,” CCI noted in its order, seen by Reuters.

India defends antitrust penalty law in Apple fight

“Such indulgence cannot be continued indefinitely,” it added, giving Apple a final warning that it will proceed in the case unilaterally if no response is received by next week.

Apple did not respond to Reuters queries.

A source familiar with the matter said Apple views CCI’s December order as a move to preempt the ongoing court proceedings and the company was not likely to respond to it before the judges hear it next on January 27.

Since 2022, Tinder-owner Match and Indian startups have been locked in an antitrust battle with Apple. Investigators in 2024 issued a report saying the U.S. smartphone company engaged in “abusive conduct” on the iOS apps market.