By Mauro Orru
Spanish antitrust officials said Apple and Amazon.com had failed to quickly comply with an order to change contract clauses linked with Amazon's role as a reseller of Apple products, ramping up pressure on the tech giants in a yearslong case.
The country's National Markets and Competition Commission in 2023 fined the companies a combined total of roughly 194 million euros, equivalent to $228.4 million, saying that some contractual clauses on Amazon's terms and conditions as an authorized Apple reseller were stifling competition.
Authorities said the agreement effectively restricted the number of resellers of Apple products on Amazon's Spanish website and issued a cease and desist order for the companies to amend their contracts.
The CNMC on Wednesday said Apple and Amazon failed to comply with the 2023 order in a timely fashion, saying the companies hadn't removed the contractual causes at issue until May 2025.
Antitrust officials said they were requesting the competition directorate to open proceedings against the companies.
The 2023 decision was appealed before Spain's high court, known as Audiencia Nacional, and is pending judgment.
"We respect the CNMC, but disagree with this decision and believe we've always complied with the authority's order," an Apple representative said. The company added that it was constantly working with law enforcement, resellers and e-commerce sites to remove counterfeit products and protect customers.
An Amazon spokesperson said the group's business model relied on sellers' success and that Spanish customers benefit from a selection that has more than doubled on its platform in the last four years.
"We have appealed as we disagree with this resolution of the Spanish Competition Authority," the spokesperson said. "We also disagree with the Competition Authority's suggestion that Amazon benefits by excluding sellers from our store."
Write to Mauro Orru at mauro.orru@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 25, 2026 08:35 ET (13:35 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Comments