Apple ordered to pay French operators €39 million over iPhone sales

A French court has ordered Apple to pay around €39 million ($45 million) to mobile network operators over accusations it imposed unfair contract conditions to allow them to sell iPhones.

The Paris commercial court also fined Apple eight million euros in its ruling, issued earlier this month.

Apple told AFP it would appeal the ruling, which concerns its contracts with France's main mobile network operators more than a decade ago, when the competition and consumer protection authority, the DGCCRF, looked at the conditions the US tech giant imposed to sell iPhones.


The court took issue with clauses that required operators to sell a certain number of iPhones and fixed their retail prices.

Apple also oversaw the use of its products and trademarks in advertising by the operators, and used the patents of the operators free of charge and without any reciprocity, according to the ruling.

The court voided the clauses in question.

As the appeal does not suspend the application of the ruling, Apple will be required to transfer the sums awarded to three of France's four mobile network operators: Bouygues Telecom, Free and SFR.