The French government conducted a raid on Apple’s local headquarters last week. During the 24-hour raid, the government’s competition authority seized documents as part of an ongoing antitrust investigation.
Details of the raid were first reported last week by Mac4Ever, and were later confirmed by LesEchos.fr. Investigators are said to be interested in the relationship between Apple and its distributors in France.
The investigation was reportedly spurred by a premium reseller in France, eBizcuss, which went bankrupt last year. The company then filed a complaint against Apple accusing it of unfair competition.
Apple was accused of favoring its own stores over resellers, allegedly making it difficult for other stores to obtain the latest models of new Apple products, while ensuring that its own stores were well stocked.
The government is also reported to have taken an interest in Apple’s iOS App Store, following an increase of the minimum selling price for magazines and newspapers last year. The French competition authority is also reported to be investigating if Apple is abusing its power for digital downloads as well.
