Apple has dealt the UK Competition and Markets Authority a major setback in its effort to regulate the tech giant. On Friday, the company won an appeal against an investigation the antitrust watchdog launched last fall. As a refresher, the CMA at Apple and Google in November. At the time, the regulator said many UK companies felt constrained by the “absolute stranglehold” the two tech giants had over mobile browsing. The investigation also sought to determine whether Apple was restricting the cloud gaming market through its .
By , Apple successfully argued that the regulator “had no power” to investigate its position in the mobile browser market. The company said the CMA should have opened the probe at the same time as the first one. The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), the court that oversees CMA cases, saying the regulator notified its investigation too late.
Apple said it was “pleased” with the CAT’s decision, adding that it would “continue to work to provide support for developers and a secure experience for users.” Naturally, the CMA was less thrilled with the outcome of the case.
“We are disappointed with today’s trial. We did this market research benchmark to make sure UK consumers have a better choice of mobile internet services and UK developers can invest in innovative new apps. Our concerns and the reasons why we launched our market research were not disputed by Apple,” the regulator said. . “Given the importance of today’s trial, we will consider our options, including seeking leave to appeal.”
