Xiaomi urges CCI to withdraw antitrust report on Flipkart, saying it contains ‘sensitive data’

In a letter to the CCI, Xiaomi raised concerns about some of the company’s confidential data contained in the regulator’s report on Flipkart, including sales data for individual models

The Chinese smartphone maker suggested that the CCI ask the parties with access to the report to return the document and destroy all copies, and then issue a new document after removing confidential information

This comes after an Indian antitrust investigation found that Xiaomi, Samsung and other smartphone makers colluded with Flipkart and Amazon to favor select sellers and list their products exclusively on their websites, in violation of Indian antitrust laws.

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has asked India’s antitrust watchdog to withdraw a report that accused the company of colluding with e-commerce giant Flipkart to violate the country’s competition law.

In a letter to the Competition Commission of India (CCI), Xiaomi has raised concerns over some confidential company data contained in the regulator’s report on Flipkart, including sales figures by models, Business Standard reported, citing sources.

The Chinese smartphone maker suggested that the CCI ask the parties with access to the report to return the document and destroy all copies, and then issue a new document after removing confidential information, as it has already done in the case of tech giant Apple, the report added.

The development comes on the heels of reports that a CCI investigation found that Xiaomi, Samsung and other smartphone makers collaborated with Flipkart and Amazon to favor select sellers and exclusively bring their products to the marketplace on the websites of e-commerce companies, in violation of Indian antitrust laws.

While Xiaomi has approached the CCI asking it to withdraw its report on Flipkart, the company has not expressed concerns over the regulator’s report on Amazon, which also accused the Chinese smartphone maker of violating Chinese competition laws.

It is worth noting that Xiaomi continues to dominate the Indian smartphone market with a 21% market share as of July 2024, with Samsung in third place, as per Counterpoint data.

E-commerce giants Flipkart and Amazon face new antitrust issue: CCI reportedly he requested the financial statements of both companies the penalty imposed on the duo was determined guilty of giving preferential treatment to certain sellers on its website, thereby violating local competition laws.

The regulatory actions against Flipkart and Amazon are part of a broader government crackdown on big tech companies accused of anti-competitive business practices.

While Google had to pay hefty fines and make radical changes to its operations in India in response to the CCI crackdown, Apple has also been penalised by the authorities for abusing its dominant position in the app market segment.