Google, Apple Hit by First Law Threatening Dominance Over App-Store Payments

Source: WSJ:

August 31, 2021 at 10:19

South Korea will require the companies to allow competing payment systems, threatening their 30% cut of most in-app digital sales

SEOUL—Google and Apple Inc. AAPL -1.05% will have to open their app stores to alternative payment systems in South Korea, threatening their lucrative commissions on digital sales.

A bill passed Tuesday by South Korea’s National Assembly is the first in the world to dent the tech giants’ dominance over how apps on their platforms sell their digital goods. It will become law once signed by President Moon Jae-in, whose party strongly endorsed the legislation.

The law amends South Korea’s Telecommunications Business Act to prevent large app-market operators from requiring the use of their in-app purchasing systems. It also bans operators from unreasonably delaying the approval of apps or deleting them from the marketplace—provisions meant to head off retaliation against app makers.

Companies that fail to comply could be fined up to 3% of their South Korea revenue by the Korea Communications Commission, the country’s media regulator.

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