Taiwanese FTC fines Apple for interfering in iPhone handset and contract pricing
Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission has ruled that Apple's been naughty rather than nice this holiday week, fining it for 20 million Taiwan dollars (around $670,000) after it specified pricing to iPhone carriers. Once Apple sells distribution rights to an iPhone stockist, it has no right to dictate how much carriers and companies sell the devices for. According to the FTC's statement: "Through the email correspondence between Apple and these three telecom companies we discovered the companies submit their pricing plans to Apple to be approved or confirmed before the products hit the market." The iPhone maker will be able to appeal the ruling, although according to the WSJ, it could face a fine of up to $50 million Taiwan dollars if it doesn't comply.
