PARIS (Reuters) – France’s competition watchdog on Monday fined iPhone maker Apple 1.1 billion euros ($ 1.23 billion), saying it was guilty of anti-competitive behavior towards its distribution and retail network.
The logo of U.S. technology company Apple is seen at a branch office in Basel, Switzerland March 2, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
The fine, the biggest ever levied by the French antitrust body, comes at a time of heightened scrutiny on U.S. tech giants by European regulators, who have been delving into the firms’ powerful market position, the tax they pay, and how they protect consumers’ privacy.
Apple said it would appeal the watchdog’s ruling, which it said was at odds with legal precedent in France.
In its decision, the French regulator said Apple imposed prices on retail premium resellers so that the prices were aligned with those charged by the California firm in its own shops, or on the Internet.
The watchdog said Apple’s two wholesalers in France fully…
Source Reuters Tech News
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