Spain's antitrust watchdog says Apple, Amazon took too long to refine anti-competitive contracts

Core Viewpoint - Spain's antitrust regulator has determined that Apple and Amazon took an excessive amount of time to eliminate anti-competitive clauses from their contracts, which could lead to additional fines [1]. Group 1: Regulatory Actions - The CNMC imposed fines totaling 194 million euros ($228 million) on Apple and Amazon in July 2023 for including clauses that unfairly limited the number of Apple resellers on Amazon's Spanish platform [1]. - The regulator's findings indicate that these clauses restricted advertising space for competitors' products and hindered Amazon from promoting competing products to Apple customers [1]. Group 2: Compliance Issues - The CNMC proposed a new investigation due to the companies' failure to comply with the cease-and-desist order, which required the removal of the clauses by May 2025 [1]. - There are indications of ongoing infringement due to non-compliance with the initial order [1]. Group 3: Legal Proceedings - Apple and Amazon have appealed the CNMC's 2023 decision to Spain's High Court, resulting in the suspension of the original fine pending the court's judgment [1].