The French anti-trust body, the Autorite de la Concurrence, has carried out searches of Apple’s offices, wholesalers and retailers in a search for evidence into alleged anti-competitive practices by the company, reports the Les Echos newspaper (via the WSJ).
The report was light on detail, but likely relates to claims that Apple obliged retailers to buy iPhones in large quantities and to promote them heavily as a condition of stocking the phone. Not a good news day for Apple in Europe, it seems.
Independent retailers claim Apple violates existing agreements by favoring its own stores, Les Echos reports …
