Africa Business Radio

India’s competition watchdog has ordered an investigation into Apple Inc’s business practices in the country, saying it was of the initial view that the iPhone maker had violated certain antitrust laws. The order from the Competition Commission of India comes after a non-profit group alleged that Apple was abusing its dominant position in the apps market by forcing developers to use its proprietary in-app purchase system. The complainant argued that Apple’s imposition of a 30 per cent in-app fee for the distribution of paid digital content and other restrictions hurts competition by raising costs for app developers and customers while also acting as a barrier to market entry. The CCI says Apple’s restrictions prima facie result in denial of market access for potential app developers and distributors.