Apple has set its sights on India's antitrust watchdog, questioning the legality of a request for its financial data as part of an ongoing battle over its App Store policies.
India's competition body wants the information so it can calculate what penalty Apple should face. This comes after a 2024 investigation found that Apple had abused its dominant position in the market.
Reuters reports that Apple could be on the hook for a whopping $38 billion penalty. However, in court documents seen by the news outlet, Apple has pushed back on India's request for financial data. The company doesn't believe that the antitrust body has exceeded its powers as part of its request for financial data.
Apple had previously been given until May 21, 2026, to submit the data required to calculate the penalty. Now, it's gone on the offensive and chosen to challenge India's entire antitrust penalty system via a New Delhi court.
The court will convene on May 15 to discuss the matter.
A recurring theme for Apple
India remains a key market for Apple, with iPhones making up almost 10% of the smartphone market. That's double the 4% figure from just two years ago, the report notes.
For its part, Apple argues that it is still small fry compared to Google's Android. Android makes up the vast majority of the Indian smartphone market.
India is far from the first country to consider Apple in breach of local antitrust laws. The company has been embroiled in a legal battle with the European Union for years.
Antitrust bodies around the globe believe that Apple is abusing its market position by preventing third-party iPhone app stores. The EU successfully forced Apple to allow such stores in the bloc, and others are working to follow suit.
