In a significant procedural victory, Apple has successfully shielded its commercially sensitive information from its opponents in an ongoing antitrust case in India.
The tech giant has blocked Tinder-owner Match Group and a coalition of startups from accessing confidential data that formed part of the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) initial findings against the US firm, according to a confidential order.
The legal wrangling centers around an investigation launched by the CCI last year, which concluded that Apple had abused its dominant position in the market for app stores on its iOS operating system, to the detriment of app developers, users, and rival payment processors.
Apple has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, arguing that it is a relatively small player in the Indian market, where phones running Google’s Android operating system hold a commanding lead.
While the investigation phase has been completed, the CCI’s senior members have yet to review the findings and issue a final ruling.
This decision could have significant consequences for Apple, potentially leading to substantial fines and even forcing the company to alter its business practices if found guilty of anticompetitive behavior.
Data dispute: redactions and access denied
The current dispute revolves around a request by Match Group and the Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF), a group representing Indian startups, to gain access to certain confidential information that had been redacted from investigation reports shared with the parties.
This information included details about developer payouts and total billings, data that the opposing parties argued was crucial to their case.
Match Group contended that Apple had been “claiming excessive and unwarranted redactions in its submissions” across the globe “to hinder effective scrutiny of its practices.”
However, the CCI sided with Apple, rejecting Match’s arguments in a 13-page confidential order issued on March 3 and reviewed by Reuters.
The order highlighted Apple’s concerns, noting that “the very fact that Match is involved in similar antitrust proceedings” with the company elsewhere will cause Apple harm if its commercially sensitive information is provided to Match.
The CCI ultimately concluded that “disclosure of such redacted information at this stage to ADIF and Match is neither necessary nor expedient… and disclosure of the same could potentially cause harm to the interests of Apple and other third parties.”
Neither the CCI, Apple, Match Group, nor ADIF have offered any comment.
Origins of the case: a complaint from a non-profit
The Indian case was initially filed by a relatively obscure, non-profit organization called “Together We Fight Society,” which argued that Apple’s in-app fee, which can reach as high as 30%, unfairly harms competition by increasing costs for both app developers and consumers.
According to data from Counterpoint Research, Apple’s iOS powered approximately 4% of the 712 million smartphones in use in India as of the end of 2024, with the remaining market share dominated by Google’s Android operating system.
However, Apple’s smartphone base in the country has experienced significant growth in recent years, increasing fivefold over the past five years.
Despite securing this procedural victory, Apple still faces a long road ahead in the Indian antitrust case.
The company can still challenge the findings of the CCI investigation, and the watchdog’s senior members are expected to issue a final ruling in the coming weeks.
Google’s antitrust battle in India
This case bears some resemblance to a similar antitrust battle involving Google in India.
In 2022, the CCI imposed a $113 million fine on Google and mandated that the company allow the use of third-party billing systems and cease forcing developers to use its in-app payment system, which charges commissions ranging from 15% to 30%.
Google has denied any wrongdoing and is challenging the CCI’s decision.
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