Apple has accused India’s antitrust regulator of “copy-pasting” arguments written by its competitors into the investigation of its App Store, according to a legal filing reported by Reuters. The company warned that the conduct of the case could affect its investment plans in India — one of its most important growth markets and, increasingly, a manufacturing hub.
The filing is the latest twist in a probe that began with a 2021 complaint over Apple’s App Store commission and distribution policies. The Competition Commission of India opened an investigation after concluding that Apple’s 30% commission on digital purchases and its control over app distribution warranted scrutiny.
Apple’s core allegation is procedural: that the regulator’s investigation report mirrors submissions from the complainants — startups and app developers who have long pressed the case against Apple — rather than representing an independent assessment. The company said the copied language calls the investigation’s integrity into question.
At the same time, Apple has agreed to provide the financial data the commission requested, a concession that keeps the case moving while the company contests its foundations. The dual approach — cooperating with the process while attacking its premise — is a familiar pattern for Apple’s legal team, which has deployed it in Europe and the United States.
The stakes in India are substantial. Apple has spent years building an Indian manufacturing base, assembling iPhones through partners and expanding retail presence across the country. The company’s warning about investment plans signals that regulatory risk is now part of its India calculus.
The App Store dispute in India tracks a global pattern. In Europe, the Digital Markets Act forced Apple to allow alternative app stores and reduced commission structures. In the United States, a court ruled that Apple must permit developers to link to outside payment systems. India’s case touches the same questions: how much control a platform may exercise over its ecosystem.
The commission has shown little appetite for backing down. India’s competition regime was overhauled in 2023, with new powers and a renewed focus on digital markets, and regulators have pursued cases against Google and other platforms with a vigor that surprised the industry. The App Store probe fits that agenda.
Apple’s legal strategy is to separate the investigation from its conclusions. Even if the case proceeds, the company argues, the commission must build its own case from its own evidence. The “copy-paste” allegation, if substantiated, could provide grounds to challenge the investigation’s findings at a later stage.
The financial data concession has its own logic. Apple has resisted disclosing detailed financials in other jurisdictions, arguing that they are commercially sensitive. In India, the company appears to have concluded that refusing the request would hand the commission a procedural win and delay the substantive fight.
Developers in India have mixed feelings. Some applaud the commission’s scrutiny, saying Apple’s commission and control hurt local startups that cannot absorb the costs. Others worry that a protracted fight will slow the growth of India’s app economy, which has become a bright spot in a global market that has cooled.
Analysts said the case will be watched as a test of India’s new antitrust posture. The country is asserting itself as a regulator of digital markets, and the outcome — whether Apple bends, fights, or settles — will set expectations for every other platform operating there.
For Apple, the timing is awkward. The company is pushing deeper into India at the same moment it is defending its platform economics in three major jurisdictions. Each case informs the others: concessions in one market create arguments in another, and Apple’s lawyers are careful about what they give away where.
The commission has not responded publicly to the “copy-paste” allegation beyond procedural filings. People familiar with the matter said the regulator believes its investigation stands on its own merits and intends to push the case toward a final order. The coming months will determine whether Apple’s challenge delays that process.
The broader question is what an adverse outcome would cost. India’s market is growing, and Apple’s services revenue depends on healthy app commerce there. A finding against the company could force commission cuts and distribution changes — the same remedies that have reshaped Apple’s business in Europe.
For now, the fight is procedural, fought in filings rather than headlines. But the substance is clear: Apple wants to keep its App Store economics intact in one of the world’s largest markets, and India’s regulator wants to prove that its new antitrust powers apply to the biggest companies on earth.
The case also carries implications for Apple’s manufacturing story. The company has been careful to separate its production footprint from its platform disputes, but its filing explicitly links the two. That linkage is a warning shot: if India’s regulatory climate turns hostile, Apple has options — and other global companies are watching how this one resolves.
