A Paris appeals court ruled Wednesday that Orange, France Telecom’s (FTE) mobile operator, must give up its exclusive rights to sell the iPhone in France, upholding a ruling by France’s competition authorities.
In December, the country’s national competition council ordered Apple and official carrier Orange to temporarily permit other companies to sell the device, pending deeper investigation into complaints from Bouygues Telecom. Apple and Orange subsequently filed an appeal, but this was denied by a Parisian judge in a 19-page Wednesday ruling.
France maintains strict pro-competition laws, which in the case of cellphones forbid tying a device to a single carrier. Apple and Orange have attempted to work around this obstacle by offering an unlocked device, but at a higher cost, and still only through the pair’s own outlets. Bouygues has demanded the right to sell the phone, noting that the iPhone is subject to unfair channel limitations.
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