HC agrees to hear Apple’s challenge on CCI

The Delhi High Court on Monday refrained from issuing any order to restrain the Competition Commission of India (CCI) from taking coercive action against US tech giant Apple in its probe regarding App Store payment policies, even as it agreed to hear Apple's challenge to the legal provision that allows the CCI to levy penalties of up to 10% on an errant company’s global turnover.

- Shruti Kakkar

The CCI in 2021 had initiated an investigation against Apple from the complaints filed between 2021 and 2022 by NGOs, Indian startups and Match Group (owner of Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid), alleging that the company abused its dominant position by requiring developers to use its in-app payment system and pay commissions of up to 30%. The CCI in December last year had directed Apple to The CCI on March 3 this year had passed an order directing the company to furnish audited financial statements for the financial year 2022, 2023 and 2024 in terms of the turnover regulations and penalty guidelines.