Indian government regulators are fighting back against Apple’s attempts to reduce potential fines over alleged App Store antitrust actions by the California company, reports AppleInsider.
A 2021 investigation into Apple’s App Store practices by the Competition Commission of India (CCI), which was spurred by a complaint by “Together We Fight Society” (TWFS), resulted in a July 2024 announcement by the CCI that it had found that Apple does have “significant influence” over digital services and products on its platforms.
Reuters report that Apple has since fought the CCI’s finding, in an attempt to reduce any potential fines. Apple in November 2025 asked New Delhi judges to intervene in the situation, claiming that existing laws in India base applicable fines on global turnover, not just Indian turnover, any calculated fines would be disproportionate.
The CCI reportedly pushed back on Apple’s arguments in December 15, 2025 with court filing saying that the law “aligns Indian competition law enforcement with established international practice.”
“This approach ensures that penalties retain real deterrent value in complex, digital and cross-border markets,” it continues, “rather than becoming nominal or easily absorbable for large multinational players.”
The Indian government says any fines calculated solely based on turnover in the country, which would not be a sufficient deterrent.
For Apple’s part, it says that since the law being used by the Indian government didn’t become law until November 2024, the CCI is illegally applying the recently enacted law to an investigation that began before the law was enacted.
The CCI then pushed back, saying Apple is attempting to mislead the courts about the issue.
The Delhi High Court will now hear testimony regarding how such fines are calculated on January 27, 2026.
