China: Watchdog reviews Apple antitrust complaint

According to Bloomberg, China’s State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) will be reviewing an antitrust complaint against Apple. The complaint accuses Apple of abusing its dominant position in smartphone applications.

The regulator is studying the information following a complaint filed on behalf of developers before deciding if a formal investigation is necessary, said Bloomberg. The review is preliminary and Chinese antitrust agencies usually review such information before deciding whether an official probe is needed.

Beijing-based law firm Daxiao, or Dare & Sure, said earlier this month it filed complaints on the app developers’ behalf to the SAIC and the National Development and Reform Commission. The lawyers accused Apple of removing apps without a proper explanation and taking an excessive 30% cut of in-app transactions, it said in an August 8 statement. The law firm now represents close to 50 developers, which produce games and a number of other apps, according to Lin Wei, managing partner of Dare & Sure.

Full Content: Bloomberg

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