In the UK, the investigation of the local regulator against Apple has been suspended.
Source: Pixabay.com
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigated the supply of mobile browsers and browser engines, as well as the distribution of cloud gaming services through app stores on mobile devices in the United Kingdom.
Apple has appealed to the Court of Competition Appeal (CAT) with a request to reconsider this decision. CAT announced last Friday, March 31, a decision in favor of the technology giant, as the CMA violated the requirements regarding the timing of the investigation.
A representative of the CMA, in a statement published on the official website of the regulator, said he was disappointed about CAT’s decision. He also noted that the investigation was conducted to make sure that British consumers are provided with access to the best choice of mobile Internet services. According to him, this procedure was supposed to confirm or deny guarantees that British developers can safely invest in innovative applications.
The representative of the regulator also stressed that the concerns that became the reasons for the decision to conduct an investigation were not challenged by Apple.
In November 2022, the CMA announced the strengthening of the antitrust investigation against Apple and Google. Then the regulator also announced broad support for this decision, which was first announced as a proposal in June last year.
In November, the agency announced its intention to assess the dominance of two large technology companies in the mobile browser market. The regulator announced its plans to carefully study how Apple restricts cloud games through its App Store.
The CMA said late last year that Apple and Google have an effective duopoly in mobile ecosystems, which allows them to exercise control over these markets, which include operating systems, app stores, and web browsers on mobile devices.
Last summer, when it became known about the intention of the British regulator, it became clear that Apple’s antitrust problems exist not only in the United States but also in Europe. The investigations initiated by the UK and European Union authorities require changes to the concept of the technology giant’s policy.
A representative of the CMA in a statement on Friday noted that CAT’s decision represents a risky precedent, which in the future may negatively affect the regulator’s ability to conduct investigations and control the processes observed in the market.
The British regulator is currently considering options for responding to the current situation, including an appeal.
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