Apple fined for breaching fair trade law over iPhone pricing in Taiwan

Apple has been reportedly fined Tw 20 million dollars for breaching a fair trade law over iPhone pricing in Taiwan.

The Fair Trade Commission said that an Apple unit in charge of Taiwan sales had interfered in the pricing and mobile phone payment rates of three local telecom service providers, despite selling them the distribution rights to the phones.

According to News24, the commission said that the telecom service providers had submitted their pricing plans to Apple for approval or confirmation before new models hit the market, while Apple had also asked the Taiwanese companies to change or adjust prices.

It said that Apple deprived the telecom operators of liberty to decide on the prices based on their own cost structures and competitive market situation, to restrict competition and violate the fair trade law.

The report said that Apple could face an additional fine of up to Tw50 million dollars if it fails to comply with the norms.