French Competition Authority Raids Apple's Offices

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Posted July 1, 2013 at 6:00pm by Shalom Levytam

During a 24-hour operation, French competition authority 'Autorite de la Concurrence' raided Apple's offices and the offices of its major wholesalers and distributors last week, reports Les Echos.

Documents were seized during the raids; however, it's unclear how many and for what reason the raids occurred.

TNW notes that the search may have been prompted by the company's anti-competitive behavior. eBizcuss sued Apple in December 2011 after the company suffered a 30% drop in the third quarter of 2011 when iPad 2 and MacBook Air supplies "dried up". It was forced to liquidate on July 31, 2012 after 36 years in business.

Apple has also been fined multiple times for misrepresenting the warranty coverage of its devices to customers. It apparently failed to pay 5 million euros ($6.5 million) in royalties and taxes on iPads sold in France in 2011 and a French minister Fleur Pellerin recently threatened Apple with EU action over its forced removal of AppGratis from the App Store calling the decision "extremely brutal and unilateral.... This behaviour is not worthy of a company of this size."

Read More [via TNW]

French Competition Authority Raids Apple's Offices

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Joe Cole - July 2, 2013 at 1:06pm

icrunch, you're the true deal. I've been laughing my a$$ off especially about killer waves & waterboarding.

Nitro Junkie - July 1, 2013 at 9:49pm

Apple could probably buy the country of they wanted too. The French government are a weird group of people.

PRISM - July 1, 2013 at 11:43pm

"When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty." Thomas Jefferson. In France, we feel free and protest for our rights it is in our genes. By the way, how would you call a government which spies its allies and its citizens in the name of "9.11 no more" ? Anyway, shouldn't we speaking about APPLE products here ?

Joe Cole - July 2, 2013 at 1:09pm

icrunch, will you please stop? My head hurts from all that laughing.

iCrunch - July 4, 2013 at 10:38am

Hating the French is merely doing my patriotic duty and pursuing one of my favorite hobbies. I get all fuzzy inside. Anyway, Happy Fourth! haha

Waleesa - July 1, 2013 at 6:24pm

Hmm. Now the proverbial shoe is on the other foot. How does it feel? Remember when Apple used SWAT to unjustly raid the Gizmodo editor's home just because he had legally procured access to a lost prototype of the iPhone 4.

m[o_0]m - July 1, 2013 at 8:44pm

No. I don't.