European investigators to look at Apple carrier deals for possible antitrust violations
Apple is under fire in Europe for possible anti-competitive contracts with wireless carriers that allegedly stifle competition, said a report by The New York Times. No formal antitrust complaint has been filed, but the European Commission has supposedly asked carriers to provide information about their contracts with Apple.
"We have been contacted by industry participants and we are monitoring the situation, but no antitrust case has been opened," said Joaquín Almunia, the EU's competition commissioner, in a statement provided to The New York Times through spokesperson Antoine Colombani.
Sources, who were not identified by NYT, claim the focus of this inquiry are smaller European carriers, which have allegedly signed very strict contracts to carry the iPhone.
Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris told The New York Times, "Our contracts fully comply with local laws wherever we do business, including the EU."
