Open Access Research Article

THE APPLE APP STORE AND THE LIMITS OF COMPETITION LAW: CAN INDIA’S SECTION 4 FRAMEWORK ADEQUATELY ADDRESS ANTI-STEERING AND PAYMENT RESTRICTIONS?

Author(s):
LEESHAA GOYAL AANYA REDDY VANSHAJ ARORA
Journal IJLRA
ISSN 2582-6433
Access Open Access
Volume 3
Issue 7
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Abstract

Abstract India’s Competition Commission has spent years examining whether Apple’s App Store rules amount to an abuse of dominance under section 4 of the Competition Act 2002. The rules at issue are the requirement that digital purchases run through Apple’s own payment system and the restrictions on telling users about cheaper options elsewhere. Apple’s agreement in June 2026 to supply India-specific financial data has moved the case closer to a decision, but it has also shown how much of the dispute now concerns penalties and procedure rather than conduct. This paper asks whether the section 4 framework can adequately address anti-steering and payment restrictions. It argues that the substantive provisions are broad enough to reach the conduct, particularly through the limbs on unfair conditions, denial of market access and leveraging, while self-preferencing fits less comfortably. The real limits lie in market definition for a single-brand ecosystem, the absence of a settled justification test, slow ex post enforcement, remedy design and an unresolved penalty framework.

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Authors: LEESHAA GOYAL, AANYA REDDY & VANSHAJ ARORARegistration ID: 1013265 | Published Paper ID: IJLRA13265, IJLRA13266 & IJLRA13267Year: Oct-2026 | Volume: 3 | Issue: 7Approved ISSN: 2582-6433 | Country: Delhi, IndiaPage No.: 239-253

Article Information

THE APPLE APP STORE AND THE LIMITS OF COMPETITION LAW: CAN INDIA’S SECTION 4 FRAMEWORK ADEQUATELY ADDRESS ANTI-STEERING AND PAYMENT RESTRICTIONS?

Authors: LEESHAA GOYAL, AANYA REDDY, VANSHAJ ARORA

  • Journal IJLRA
  • ISSN 2582-6433
  • Volume 3
  • Issue 7
Citation Download Paper Full Details Search on Google Search on Google Scholar

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International Journal for Legal Research and Analysis

  • AbbreviationIJLRA
  • ISSN2582-6433
  • AccessOpen Access
  • LicenseCC 4.0

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