Spain's competition watchdog plans to sanction Apple, Amazon

What happened

Spain's competition watchdog opened new sanction proceedings against Apple and Amazon, saying they did not remove disputed contract clauses until May 2025 despite a July 2023 order to stop anti-competitive practices. The regulator fined them a combined 194 million euros in 2023.

Confirmed

Global impact / market context

A new penalty could add costs for both companies in Spain, though the sums are small next to their global revenue. The case also tests whether regulators can force changes to marketplace selling rules after an order is issued.

Analyst inference

Both companies are appealing the original fine and the non-compliance decision in Spain's National Court, so outcomes remain uncertain. The regulator said the new proceedings do not prejudge results and may take up to three months, keeping a legal overhang on their Spanish operations.

Analyst inference

What to watch

1. The competition authority said the investigation could take up to three months, a timetable that sets when a fresh penalty decision might arrive. Confirmed
2. Watch whether Apple and Amazon change the disputed contract terms on Amazon's Spanish website before the proceedings conclude, which could reduce further penalty risk. Proposed
3. Track the National Court appeals of the 2023 fine and the 2025 non-compliance ruling, because a court win could weaken or overturn the regulator's enforcement push. Analyst inference

Evidence

• seekingalpha.com