Italy: Italian court cancels fine against Apple and Amazon imposed by Italy's Competition Authority

On 3 October 2022, the Italian Administrative Court for Lazio issued its ruling in the appeal case brought before the court by Amazon and Apple against the fines issued by the Italian Competition Authority (ICA) in November 2021. The court cancelled the EUR 58.6 million fine for Amazon and the approximately EUR 114.6 million imposed on Apple over the alleged collusion between the companies. The court reached the decision based on procedural grounds, noting that the companies were not given enough time to prepare their defence. The ICA had determined in 2021 that the 2018 agreement between companies on prices and competition among Amazon re-sellers in Italy of Apple and Beats devices violated EU competition law and issued a fine over the alleged anticompetitive agreement.