Xiaomi has requested that India’s antitrust body, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), recall its report on Walmart’s Flipkart, claiming it contains sensitive commercial data, according to two sources familiar with the situation. The report, which found that both Xiaomi and Flipkart violated competition laws, includes business secrets that Xiaomi argues should have been redacted before being shared with involved parties. The investigation report includes sensitive information, such as model-specific sales figures, which Xiaomi considers commercially valuable.
Xiaomi’s appeal, if successful, could delay the ongoing antitrust investigation, which started in 2021. The CCI took a similar action in August when it recalled an antitrust report on Apple after the company raised concerns about the exposure of confidential commercial information.
The CCI’s report, which is not publicly available but shared with case parties, focused on allegations that major e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart gave preferential treatment to certain sellers and collaborated with brands, including Xiaomi, to launch exclusive products on their platforms. Reuters reported earlier that these practices were viewed as violations of competition laws. Xiaomi, however, has not expressed concerns over the separate report involving Amazon, despite claims of a similar collusion on online sales.
Xiaomi has requested that all parties return the report and destroy any existing copies, allowing the CCI to review and further redact sensitive information before reissuing the document. The watchdog’s Flipkart report also identified practices by several smartphone manufacturers, including Xiaomi, Samsung, Motorola, and others, that favored exclusive product launches on Flipkart, deeming these actions detrimental to both competition and consumer interests.
Featured Image courtesy of Inc42
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