Corning's Apple Glass Deal Gets a Pass in EU Antitrust Settlement

The European Commission has made legally binding a set of commitments from Apple supplier Corning, resolving an antitrust probe but notably excluding the custom glass developed for Apple's products. The decision, which addresses concerns over Corning's exclusive deals for the break-resistant glass used in smartphones and other devices, effectively carves out an exception for the iPhone maker.

The Commission's investigation, which opened in November 2024, preliminarily found that Corning held a dominant position in the global market for Alkali-aluminosilicate (Alkali-AS) glass. Regulators were concerned that exclusive supply agreements with device manufacturers and glass finishers may have illegally excluded competitors from large segments of the market.

However, the Commission found that the specialized glass Corning develops for Apple is not part of this market, stating that these products have "special compositions and are only used by Apple." As a result, Corning's agreements with Apple are not subject to the new commitments.


Under the new legally binding terms for its other partners, Corning will waive all exclusive dealing clauses in its current agreements and is barred from using similar clauses in the future. The company is also prohibited from requiring manufacturers to source more than 50% of their worldwide demand for Alkali-AS glass and transparent glass ceramics from Corning. The commitments will remain in force for nine years and apply globally.

Corning is the manufacturer behind Gorilla Glass, a key material in many consumer electronics and a competitor to Apple's own Ceramic Shield, which is also produced in partnership with Corning.

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