Apple India Antitrust Case Hinges on Plagiarism Claim Against Regulators

Apple’s defense in India’s antitrust probe has taken a sharp turn. Rather than contesting the underlying conduct, the company is attacking the investigation itself, arguing that the Competition Commission of India lifted complaints word-for-word from rivals including Match Group, PhonePe, and Paytm without independently verifying any of the claims.

In a June 25 submission, Apple presented detailed tables showing the alleged copying and flagged that the CCI’s report reused a graphic from a 2024 European Union ruling, a market that operates quite differently from India’s. The company is now asking regulators to throw out the entire case, with a closed-door hearing scheduled for July 21 where both sides will present their arguments.

Apple’s antitrust defense in India has consistently focused on procedural problems rather than admissions, and the plagiarism argument fits that pattern. If regulators built their findings on unverified competitor complaints, the company believes the entire probe lacks a credible foundation.

App Store and market share at the center

Apple also argues it holds less than six percent of the smartphone market in India, using that figure to question whether it can meaningfully distort competition in the first place. It warns that any forced changes to App Store rules would damage its business model and, by its own account, reduce future investment in India’s digital economy.

The financial disclosure fight that preceded this hearing was itself contentious. Apple spent years resisting the CCI’s demands for local revenue data before finally handing over the figures after a Delhi High Court ruling ended that delay. Regulators had criticized the stonewalling, and the data submission moved the case forward even as Apple opened this new line of attack.

The July 21 hearing will determine whether the CCI treats the plagiarism claim as a procedural defect worth addressing or simply moves ahead toward potential fines.