Apple hit with record $1.2 billion fine by French antitrust authorities

France’s competition authority, the Autorité de la Concurrence, has fined Apple €1.1 billion (around $1.2 billion) for illegally restricting how wholesalers sell Apple products. As well as fining Apple itself, the authority has also fined two of its wholesalers, Tech Data, and Ingram Micro, Reuters reports. The Autorité de la Concurrence launched its probe in 2012, when the premium reseller eBizcuss.com launched a complaint shortly before going out of business, Politico reported last week. The authority said the fine is the highest it’s ever given.

French authorities say that Apple is guilty of a series of anti-competitive practices. First, Apple and two of its wholesalers agreed to not compete with each other. Second, it stopped its...

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