Apple loses anti-competitive lawsuit in Taiwan

Apple has been fined nearly $650,000 after losing an anti-competition lawsuit in Taiwan, Reuters reports. The country’s Fair Trade Commission fined Apple in 2013 for requiring telecom partners to get the company’s approval for iPhone prices, subsidies, advertising content and price differentials between old and new phone models. Under Taiwanese law, once telecoms take possession of a phone, they can set prices however they see fit, the commission said. Apple countersued, but a judge ruled against the company. The commission claims this is the first case of a jurisdiction successfully defeating Apple’s practice of dictating pricing terms to its telecom partners. Apple could still appeal the decision; the company declined to comment when contacted.