Anti-trust charge against Apple

EU has stepped up its antitrust case against Apple by accusing the company of abusing its dominant position by limiting access to technologies allowing contactless payment.

Background –

• European Union’s executive arm, the European Commission, has been investigating Apple since 2020.
• Following this investigation, the European Commission has submitted its preliminary investigation report in which Apple has been charged with antitrust case.

Anti-trust rules of the EU –

• EU Antitrust policy is developed from Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
  • • Article 101 prohibits anti-competitive agreements between two or more independent market operators.
    • Article 102 prohibits abusive behaviour by companies holding a dominant position on any given market.
• Under these articles, European Commission is empowered to start investigation on charges of companies abusing their dominant position to scuttle competition.

About the European Commission –

• The European Commission is the EU’s politically independent executive arm.
• EC is known as the guardian of the treaties. It is due to its responsibility to represent the European interest and enforce the treaties and legislation that provide the legal foundation for the EU.
• Its members consist of a team of 27 Commissioners (one from each EU country) – led by the Commission President.
• It is located at Brussels (Belgium).
• It is alone responsible for drawing up proposals for new European legislation, and it implements the decisions of the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. It is also responsible for upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU.