Italy Fines Apple And Amazon $225 Million

Italy’s antitrust watchdog has fined Apple and Amazon a total of more than 200 million euros for cooperating to restrict competition in the sale of Apple and Beats branded products in violation of European Union rules.

The Italian Competition Authority said Tuesday, an investigation found that provisions in a 2018 agreement between the U.S. tech giants limited access to Italy’s Amazon marketplace to selected resellers. The watchdog slapped Apple with a 134.5 million euro fine and Amazon with a 68.7 million euro penalty. It also ordered them to end the restrictions and give resellers access in a “non-discriminatory manner.” Both Apple and Amazon said they would appeal.