India’s antitrust watchdog has ordered an investigation into Apple’s business practices — in particular, the company mandating iPhone app developers to use a proprietary payments system — in India, reports TechCrunch.
The Competition Commission of India, which ordered the Director General to conduct the probe within 60 days, said it is of the prima facie view that the mandatory use of Apple’s in-app payments system for paid apps and in-app purchases “restrict[s] the choice available to the app developers to select a payment processing system of their choice especially considering when it charges a commission of up to 30% for app purchases and in-app purchases.”
In September, it was announced that Apple was facing an antitrust challenge in India for allegedly abusing its dominant position in the apps market by forcing developers to use its proprietary in-app purchase system, reports Reuters.
The Indian case was filed by a little-known, non-profit group that argues the tech giant’s fee of up to 30% hurts competition by raising costs for app developers and customers, while also acting as a barrier to market entry. Unlike Indian court cases, filings and details of cases reviewed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) are not made public.
Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today