Apple and Amazon Fined 194 Million Euros for Anti-Competitive Practices in Spain

2023-07-18 14:59:23

The Spanish competition authority on Tuesday imposed a global fine of 194 million euros on the American giants Apple and Amazon for anticompetitive practices in the distribution of Apple brand products by Amazon Spain.

The two groups “agreed to include a number of clauses in the contracts governing” the sale of Apple products by Amazon “which restricted competition”, justified in a press release the National Commission for Markets and competition (CNMC).

According to the CNMC, these practices stem from two contracts signed in October 2018 in order to “modify the sales dynamic of Apple products on the Amazon Spain website”, and which penalized both Apple’s competitors and certain resellers of apple brand products.

Under these contracts, “only a certain number of resellers designated by Apple might sell Apple-branded products via the Amazon Spain website”, details in its press release the body responsible for enforcing the right of the competition in Spain.

Limited competing

In addition, these agreements “limited the possibility for Apple’s competitors to buy space on Amazon’s site in Spain to offer their products”, which “directly harmed consumers by limiting their ability to discover new brands,” the statement added.

The fine imposed on Apple amounts in detail to 143.6 million euros and that imposed on Amazon to 50.5 million euros.

Apple and Amazon, like all tech giants, have been fined several times in recent years in Europe for non-compliance with competition law.

afp/mirro

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