Italian court removes antitrust fine against Apple and Amazon

The Italian antitrust watchdog placed a €173.3 million fine against Apple and Amazon for alleged collusion last year, which an administrative court in the country has now scrapped. This penalty was originally set at €203 million but was reduced to €173.3 after the competition authority made an error in their calculations.

The fine was first imposed following an investigation into the resale of Apple items on the Amazon Italy platform by the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM), which claimed there had been anti-competitive coordination between Apple and Amazon.

Amazon welcomed the decision made by the Court and said: “Our business model across Europe relies on the success of small and medium-sized businesses, and we will continue to work hard to provide a great selection from Apple, and the value and convenience that our customers love.”

According to information in an Italian publication, Corriere della Sera, it is believed that the Court overturned the original ruling due to administrative reasons. The administrative court sided with the argument put forward by Amazon and Apple, who complained they were not given enough time by AGCM to defend themselves fairly. The administrative Court also agreed that the AGCM had not efficiently carried out parts of their investigation.

In a statement Apple made when the fine was announced by AGCM, the tech giant argued that the partnership with Amazon was completed to ensure customers would be able to buy genuine products.

Whilst this fine may have been scrapped, Apple and Amazon still face several anti-trust investigations and fines across Europe. The European Commission is currently investigating complaints related to Apple Pay and Apple’s rules around streaming music services. Amazon also face probes around the use of merchant data and the terms sellers have to accept to enable their offers to be Prime eligible.