Excerpts:
South Korea is likely to bar Google and Apple from requiring software developers to use their payment systems, effectively stopping them from charging commissions on in-app purchases, the first such curbs on the tech companies by a major economy.
An amendment of the Telecommunications Business Act, dubbed the "Anti-Google law," that takes aim at app store operators with dominant market positions, is being considered by lawmakers in South Korea, who have pushed the issue of the commission structure since mid-2020.
Naomi Wilson, vice president of policy for Asia at the Information Technology Industry Council, a trade group that includes Apple and Google, said the legislation would violate South Korea's multilateral and bilateral trade commitments.
"If enacted, the bill would present challenges both for app developers and app stores seeking to do business in the Korean market," she said, urging Korean legislators to re-examine the obligations for app markets and ensure they do not disproportionately affect U.S. companies.
The European Union last year proposed the Digital Markets Act, taking aim at app store commissions. The rules are designed to affect large companies, but some European lawmakers are in favour of tightening them to specifically target American technology giants, Reuters reported in June.
Full story:
https://www.reuters.com/technology/skorea-set-curb-google-apple-commission-dominance-2021-08-24/
About time if you ask me! More countries need to get some courage and face these guys!
South Korea is likely to bar Google and Apple from requiring software developers to use their payment systems, effectively stopping them from charging commissions on in-app purchases, the first such curbs on the tech companies by a major economy.
An amendment of the Telecommunications Business Act, dubbed the "Anti-Google law," that takes aim at app store operators with dominant market positions, is being considered by lawmakers in South Korea, who have pushed the issue of the commission structure since mid-2020.
Naomi Wilson, vice president of policy for Asia at the Information Technology Industry Council, a trade group that includes Apple and Google, said the legislation would violate South Korea's multilateral and bilateral trade commitments.
"If enacted, the bill would present challenges both for app developers and app stores seeking to do business in the Korean market," she said, urging Korean legislators to re-examine the obligations for app markets and ensure they do not disproportionately affect U.S. companies.
The European Union last year proposed the Digital Markets Act, taking aim at app store commissions. The rules are designed to affect large companies, but some European lawmakers are in favour of tightening them to specifically target American technology giants, Reuters reported in June.
Full story:
https://www.reuters.com/technology/skorea-set-curb-google-apple-commission-dominance-2021-08-24/
About time if you ask me! More countries need to get some courage and face these guys!
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