Tinder-owner Match Group has filed an antitrust claim against Apple with the Competition Commission of India (CCI), accusing Apple of “monopolistic conduct” over commissions charged to developers for in-app purchases, according to a legal filing seen by Reuters.
Apple’s App Store on iPhone
Aditya Kalra for Reuters:
A similar dispute in the Netherlands resulted in a 50 million euro fine for Apple and an agreement to allow different payment methods in Dutch dating applications.
Match argues in its India filing that users in other countries often prefer to use payment methods which Apple does not permit, and in India a state-backed online transfer system was preferred.
“Apple is therefore leveraging its dominant position in the iOS App Store market, to promote the exclusive use of its own payment solution,” Mark Buse, head of global government relations for Match, said in the filing.
In India, the CCI in December started investigating allegations from a local non-profit group that alleged Apple’s in-app purchase system hurts competition by raising costs for app developers and customers, while also acting as a barrier to market entry.
Technovanguard Take: Apple’s market share of Indian smartphone market currently stands at 3.94% (StatCounter, July 2022).
Android vendors hold 96% of the market as India is one of the poorest countries of the world.
Clearly, Apple does not have a monopoly in India, nor will it have a monopoly anytime soon, therefore antirust actions do not apply.
Match Group wants to enjoy all of the benefits of Apple’s App Store in India, including access to India’s most affluent users, for free. That is illogical, unfair, and, basically, theft.
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