Italy’s antitrust authority (AGCM) has issued Amazon and Apple with large fines after concluding the two companies worked together to control sales of Apple and Beats products.
As Reuters reports, the AGCM discovered “contractual provisions” as part of an agreement between the two companies back in 2018 limiting which resellers could sell Apple and Beats products. This was found to be a violation of the rules within the European Union and classes as anti-competitive behavior.
The so-called anti-competitive cooperation has landed Amazon with a $77 million fine, while Apple suffers a larger $151 million fine. Both companies must also remove any restrictions related to the sale of Apple and Beats products going forward. However, and as you’d expect, both companies disagree with the finding and subsequent fines.
Apple denies doing anything wrong, with a spokesperson stating:
“To ensure our customers purchase genuine products, we work closely with our reseller partners and have dedicated teams of experts around the world who work with law enforcement, customs and merchants to ensure only genuine Apple products are being sold.”
Amazon also believes it has done nothing wrong:
“We reject the suggestion that Amazon benefits by excluding sellers from our store, since our business model relies on their success. As a result of the agreement, Italian customers can find the latest Apple and Beats products on our store, benefiting from a catalogue that more than doubled, with better deals and faster shipping.”
Rather than paying the fines, removing the restrictions uncovered by the AGCM, and moving on, both companies have said they plan to appeal the decision.
