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French authorities search Apple’s offices, wholesalers & retailers in anti-trust investigation

The French anti-trust body, the Autorite de la Concurrence, has carried out searches of Apple’s offices, wholesalers and retailers in a search for evidence into alleged anti-competitive practices by the company, reports the Les Echos newspaper (via the WSJ).

The watchdog is looking into the way Apple provides independent wholesalers and retailers with its smartphones, tablet, laptop and desktop computers, the newspaper says.

Independent retailers claim Apple violates existing agreements by favoring its own stores, Les Echos reports … 

The report was light on detail, but likely relates to claims that Apple obliged retailers to buy iPhones in large quantities and to promote them heavily as a condition of stocking the phone. Not a good news day for Apple in Europe, it seems.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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