The investigative arm of the Competition Commission of India has found that iPhone maker Apple abuses its market dominance and engages in unfair business practices, harming lakhs of app developers and consumers, the Times of India has reported.
The findings may lead to fines of thousands of crores of rupees as well as restraining orders, the report added.
Moneycontrol couldn't independently verify the report.
"...it can be concluded that by virtue of its dominant position in the market for app stores for iOS in India, Apple engaged in abusive conduct and practices in violation of Section 3(4) and Section 4 of the Competition Act," the report quoted a supplementary probe report by CCI's investigation arm as saying.
The probe against the American tech giant has been underway since 2021 and may be heading for a closure soon, after which the competition watchdog is likely to take strict action against Apple, mirroring what it did with Google India, which faced similar charges of abuse of market dominance.
Also Read | Apple's India sales rose 33% to near $8 billion last year, says report
The 150-page report censures Apple's in-app purchase (IAP) mandate, which has been a matter of contention.
"... investigation is of the opinion that Apple has entered into anti-competitive agreements with app developers which have the effect of causing 'appreciable adverse effect on competition' in the market," the report said.
Apple told CCI its in-app purchase (IAP) was a method by which the company collected its commission, which, in turn, allowed it to maintain and develop the App Store as a “safe, trusted environment for users and developers”.
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