Judge hints Apple may face more antitrust controls in Germany
Judge hints Apple may face more antitrust controls in Germany
Share:
Headquarters of Germany's Bundeskartellamt. Apple is facing more controls in Germany due to its dominance in the market, as a German federal court has signaled that the country's antitrust regulator could win its legal fight. Apple is facing the prospect of being deemed subject to an extended anti-competition law in Germany, and is fighting the country's Bundeskartellamt antitrust regulator in court over the matter. However, it seems that Apple may not get its way.
On Tuesday, judges from the Federal Court of Justice deliberated for over three hours on whether Apple should be made to deal with additional controls to encourage competition in the market. Presiding judge Wolfgang Kirchhoff said that an assessment has shown that Apple could be seen as having considerable enough significants across markets to be subjected to the additional controls, reports Reuters.
However, the court did not issue a ruling, and wanted more time to deliberate. Apple's legal team asked for the court to discuss the matter with the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg ahead of making a decision, on the belief that EU and German law don't necessarily line up. Judge Kirchhoff said the judges failed to see any grounds for such contact to be made.
The lawsuit was instigated by the Bundeskartellamt in April 2023, with the regulator believing that Apple was subject to a 2021 amendment to the German Competition Act. Section 19a of the act, which came into force in January 2019, adds more controls and checks for companies that the regulator deems to be of "paramount significance for competition across markets.".
-0-15-screenshot-xl.jpg)
