Spain’s High Court has suspended a fine of €194 million or $209 million imposed on tech giants Apple (AAPL) and Amazon (AMZN) by the Spanish antitrust watchdog back in July, pending an appeal. The Spanish watchdog, CNMC, fined the tech giants for collusion that prevented other dealers from selling Apple products on Amazon’s Spanish sites.
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The regulator fined Apple and Amazon €143.6 million and €50.5 million, respectively. Both companies at the time had said they would appeal the decision. The Spanish Court’s decision to suspend the fine is part of the appeal process.
Amazon had claimed in July that its deal with Apple led to more discounts on Apple devices. The suspension of the fine doesn’t indicate that the Court will rule in favor of these tech companies. The CNMC stated that the contract between Amazon and Apple restricted competition by preventing most retailers from selling Apple products on Amazon’s marketplace.
Additionally, this contract limited access for EU retailers outside Spain and restricted advertising for Apple’s competitors on Amazon’s platform.
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