Samsung and other smartphone brands are accused of breaking India's antitrust laws by colluding with online retail giants Amazon and Flipkart to launch exclusive phones for those platforms. The report alleges these firms offered preferences to select retailers, hurting others in the process.
Samsung reportedly broke India's competition laws by launching online-exclusive smartphones
According to a report from Reuters, Samsung, Motorola, Realme, OnePlus, Vivo, and Xiaomi colluded with online retailers Amazon and Flipkart to launch exclusive smartphones. Antitrust investigations conducted by India's antitrust agency, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), found that Amazon and Flipkart broke local laws by giving preference to select retailers and prioritizing select listings.
Apparently, a 1,027-page report from the CCI said Amazon and its affiliates colluded with five smartphone brands, including Motorola, OnePlus, Realme, Samsung, and Xiaomi, to break competition laws. In a separate 1,696-page CCI report, it was found that Flipkart had worked with Lenovo, Motorola, Realme, Samsung, Vivo, and Xiaomi to conduct similar predatory practices.
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These practices will likely create headaches for Samsung and other smartphone brands after CCI's reports. CCI Additional Director General G.V. Siva Prasad, wrote in the report, “Exclusivity in business is anathema. Not only is it against free and fair competition but also against the interest of consumers.”
This report is dated August 9, 2024, and is not a public report. Reuters reports that it accessed the report from the CCI exclusively. Some of the accused brands, including Samsung, have been asked to submit their financial records for three fiscal years ending 2024. After this report, the CCI may impose fines on these companies in the coming months.
