Italy threatens Apple with potential ban over warranty dispute

Italy's Antitrust Authority is officially taking Apple to task over the company's alleged failure to offer two-year warranties on its products under Italian law. The authority confirmed on Tuesday that it had opened proceedings against Apple, which will potentially face fines of up to $378,000 or even be suspended from selling its products in Italy if the company doesn't meet the criteria for offering a two-year warranty to customers.

Apple was fined $1.2 million in December of 2011 by the Regional Administrative Tribunal for allegedly misleading Italian consumers about their rights to product warranties. At that time, Apple was offering its standard one year of support and urging customers to purchase AppleCare Protection Plans for longer-term coverage. But according to Italy's 2005 Consumer Code, companies are liable for defective products for two years after the time of sale. The fine led Apple to alert Italian customers to their right to two-year warranties via the company's online store, but that wasn't enough for the Antitrust Authority.