India is pushing for an antitrust case against the country’s Apple App Store after a stay request

The largest South Asian country, India, remains firm in its plans to pursue its antitrust case Apple after it rejected its request to investigate its anti-competitive behavior in the country. This means Apple is facing an antitrust lawsuit against the dominance of the iOS App Store in the country and for allegedly abusing its important position to undermine its customers, developers and more.

It was revealed that this case against Apple dates back to 2021, but Cupertino wanted India to suspend the investigation for the time being as the Indian watchdog allegedly shared “commercial secrets” with other companies.

India files antitrust case against Apple App Store

India’s regulator, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), recently rejected Apple’s request to halt the country’s investigation into the antitrust complaint against the company. Reuters reported this. This was revealed by a recently seen internal order from India’s watchdog in the news publication after Cupertino asked the country’s authorities to ‘withhold the revised report’.

This follows India’s antitrust complaint against Apple dating back three years, which also involved another major tech company, Match, best known as the owner of the online dating site Tinder.

For this reason, senior officials of India’s CCI are now reviewing the investigative report on Apple and making their decisions on the final ruling that will close the antitrust case in the country.

Apple wants India to suspend investigations

According to the report, Apple wants India to suspend its review of the investigation report because Cupertino had previously filed a complaint against the lead plaintiff, Together We Fight Society (TWFS), an Indian non-profit organization. Cupertino alleged that TWFS failed to adhere to guidelines to ensure old investigation reports were destroyed.

Additionally, Apple complained about the CCI for disclosing “commercial secrets” to competitors that should have been redacted, and the second most valuable company argued against taking action against TWFS for non-compliance.

According to the CCI investigation, Apple is alleged to have ‘exploited’ its dominant position in the iOS app store market, but Cupertino brushed aside these accusations by claiming that Google and Android are the most dominant in the country.

Antitrust complaints in the Apple App Store

Apple and its dominance of the App Store are a major concern of global authorities due to its alleged anti-competitive behavior and monopolistic tactics that harm users, developers and partners in the process. In the United States alone, it is expected that Apple will have to do that has been fighting for his company for ‘many years’ against the Department of Justice for its “iPhone dominance” that trumps the competition.

Furthermore, the European Commission’s tightening of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) is one of the biggest threats to Apple’s operations in the region, especially as Cupertino was previously asked to make changes to its business operations. risk significant fines. Apple is known to have been given ‘gatekeeper’ status for its activities, including its dominance of the App Store which has long prevented third-party payment platforms and app marketplaces from serving EU users.

That said, Apple is also facing Japan and South Korea’s mounting campaign against Cupertino’s monopolistic behavior in Asia, with the company also facing antitrust complaints. Another major Asian country is known for its antitrust complaint against Apple, with India recently rejecting its request to halt the investigation and continuing for the time being.