Spain Increases Pressure on Apple and Amazon in Ongoing Years-Long Antitrust Case

　　In 2023, the two companies were fined a total of approximately $228.4 million.

　　The Spanish antitrust authority stated that Apple and Amazon failed to promptly implement the rectification order and amend the contractual terms related to Amazon acting as a distributor of Apple products, further escalating the pressure on these two tech giants in this long-running case.

　　The Spanish National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC) imposed a total fine of approximately €194 million (equivalent to $228.4 million) on the two companies in 2023, on the grounds that certain contractual terms with Amazon as an authorized distributor of Apple suppressed market competition.

　　The regulatory authority stated that the relevant agreements effectively limited the number of Apple product distributors on Amazon Spain’s website and issued an order requiring both companies to amend the contracts.

　　On Wednesday, the commission stated that Apple and Amazon failed to comply with the 2023 rectification order in a timely manner, and the disputed clauses will not be deleted until May 2025.

　　Antitrust officials stated that they have requested the competition supervisory authorities to initiate penalty proceedings against the two companies.

　　The 2023 penalty decision has been appealed to the Spanish National High Court (Audiencia Nacional) and is still under review.

　　An Apple spokesperson stated: “We respect the Spanish National Commission on Markets and Competition, but we do not agree with this decision, and we believe we have always complied with the authority’s orders.” Apple also added that the company has been working with law enforcement, distributors, and e-commerce platforms to remove counterfeit products and protect consumers.

　　An Amazon spokesperson stated that the group’s business model depends on the success of sellers, and over the past four years, the number of products available to Spanish consumers on its platform has more than doubled.

　　The spokesperson said: “We do not agree with the decision of the Spanish antitrust authority and have filed an appeal. We also disagree with the authority’s claim that Amazon profits by excluding sellers.”

Editor: Guo Mingyu