Apple Inc has asked India’s antitrust watchdog to drop a case alleging abuse of market power in the app market, saying it is too small a player in the South Asian country where Google is dominant, according to Reuters. A filing seen shows that.
The filing came after the Competition Commission of India (CCI) began reviewing allegations that Apple hurts competition by forcing app developers to use its proprietary system that charges up to 30% commission on in-app purchases. Can do.
Apple denied the allegations in a filing to the CCI, insisting that its market share in India is “insignificant” 0–5%, while Google commands 90–100% as its Android operating system powers most other smartphones. gives.
“Apple is not dominant in the Indian market … without dominance, there can be no abuse,” Apple said in a November 16 presentation signed by its chief compliance officer, Kyle Ander.
“It has already been established that Google is the dominant player in India,” it added.
Apple and CCI did not respond to a request for comment. A Google spokesperson for Alphabet Inc. declined to comment when asked about Apple’s claim in the filing.
The complainant in the case, a little-known non-profit group called “Together We Fight Society,” said Apple dominates the market for non-licensable mobile operating systems, along with iOS.
Apple said in its filing that the entire smartphone market — which includes licensable systems like Android — is the market that needs to be taken into account.
Apple in its CCI submission described the Indian complaint as a “proxy filing”, adding that the complainant was “working in concert with the parties with whom Apple has ongoing commercial and contractual disputes globally.” and/or who have complained to other regulators.”
The American tech company did not provide any evidence in its presentation to support its claim. The nonprofit told Reuters that Apple’s remarks were “made to prejudice the mind” of the CCI, without any evidence.
In the coming weeks, the CCI will review Apple’s response to the allegations and may order a wider investigation or dismiss the case altogether if it finds no merit in it. The details of the CCI investigation are not publicly disclosed.
The CCI is separately examining Google’s in-app payment system as part of a wider investigation into the company after Indian startups raised concerns last year.
According to Counterpoint Research, Apple’s iOS will drive about 2% of 520 million smartphones in India using Android by the end of 2020, though it adds that Apple’s smartphone base in the country has more than doubled in the past five years. has gone.
global issue
Apple is battling similar allegations in other parts of the world. In the United States, “Fortnite” is locked in a legal battle with maker Epic Games over the issue, and South Korea this year became the first country to ban major app store operators from forcing developers to use their payment systems. Gone.
In the European Union, regulators last year launched an investigation into Apple’s in-app charges for the distribution of paid digital content and other restrictions.
Companies like Apple and Google say their fees cover the security and marketing benefits that their app stores provide.
In its CCI filing, Apple argued that the in-app commission it charges is “not unreasonable or excessive” and has diminished over time, adding that it charges lower rates to smaller developers. .
“Only a small number of large developers, many of whom are multi-billion dollar conglomerates, pay a title rate of 30%,” Apple said.
“Competing platforms charge the same or higher commissions as Apple. Specifically, Google takes a 30% commission on its App Store.”
This story has been published without modification in text from a wire agency feed. Only the title has been changed.
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