On September 22, 2023, the first day of sales of the iPhone 15 smartphone in Mumbai, India.
Dheeraj Singh | Bloomberg | Getty Images
apple has filed a case in the Delhi High Court against the country’s antitrust agency over the way global sales are considered while calculating fines.
The iPhone maker, one of India’s fastest-growing smartphone brands, is challenging India’s new antitrust law that could subject U.S. companies to fines of up to $38 billion, Reuters reports.
Apple added that the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) use of sales figures in calculating fines is “unconstitutional, grossly disproportionate and unjust.”
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC.
CCI is investigating complaints from a coalition of Indian startups and Tinder owners match group It accuses Apple of “cheating” by forcing developers to pay high fees for in-app purchases.
Apple denied the charges.
Although the CCI’s final judgment has not yet been issued, its December 2021 order states that it is “prima facie of the view that the mandatory use of Apple’s IAP for paid apps and in-app purchases limits the options of app developers to choose their payment processing system of choice.”
According to IDC data, Apple recorded a record quarterly shipment of 5 million units in India in the third quarter of 2025.
The company is expected to sell about 15 million iPhones in India this year, potentially making it one of the top five smartphone companies in the country, Navkendar Singh, associate vice president at IDC India, said on November 18.
Apple is one of the world’s companies diversifying its manufacturing supply chain from China to India. In 2024, Apple’s exports from India increased by more than 42% from the previous year to reach a record $12.8 billion.
