Apple is on a collision course with Samsung’s home country of South Korea – also known colloquially as “The Republic of Samsung” – on Friday over new requirements that it stop requiring app developers to use its payment systems in the company’s App Store, with a government official warning of a possible investigation into the iPhone maker’s compliance.
The development comes after South Korea amended the Telecommunication Business Act in August to try to curb the tech majors’ market dominance and stop the big app store operators such as Apple and Alphabet Inc’s Google from charging commissions on in-app purchases.
The law went into effect last month but Apple had told the South Korean government that it was already complying and did not need to change its app store policy, a Korea Communications Commission (KCC) official in charge of the matter told Reuters.
The regulator would ask Apple’s South Korean unit for a new company policy giving greater autonomy in payment methods, and if Apple failed to comply, would consider measures such as a fact-finding probe as a precursor to possible fines or other penalties.
MacDailyNews Take: “Nice store you have there. It’d be a shame is something happened to it.” – Samsung-owned politicians and bureaucrats
The Samsung chaebol owns South Korea, so it’s no surprise their laws are being tailored to hurt competitors. Samsung knows it cannot compete with Apple’s App Store.
The amount by which Apple Inc. has driven down software prices across the board, on every major computing platform, makes legal actions such as this eminently laughable. — MacDailyNews, May 14, 2019
Apple and their App Store provides developers with a safe, secure, highly lucrative distribution method to the richest personal computer, smartphone, and tablet demographics ever assembled.
Apple built the Mac. Apple built the iPhone. Apple built the iPad. Apple built the App Store. Apple created the most verdant ecosystem ever created for developers by far. Only the losers and those developers who can’t read and follow simple rules are whining incessantly.
If anything, Apple takes too little of a cut for all that the App Store provides developers. — MacDailyNews, July 28, 2020
By the way, how much did it cost developers to have their applications burned onto CDs, boxed, shipped, and displayed on store shelves prior to Apple remaking the world for the better for umpteenth time? — MacDailyNews, May 5, 2021
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I suspect the payment model that all these ‘cases’ are aiming for mirrors how you pay for items on websites where you can choose which payment system to use for your transaction.
I sometimes wonder how much the US has invested in South Korea. Start with the Korean War where we sent our young men into battle and all the cash that included for weapons, systems, ammunition, etc. Now add the costs of warships (including carriers), planes, etc.
Maybe we should consider that “investment” as something to off set any claims the SK would have over US corporations who have spent so much money for R&D – investments which have made it possible for Samsung blatantly copy Apple products.
Sorry, but I consider SK’s actions bring shame to their country and should be brought up ASAP. Seoul is still a 5 minute rocket attack from NK and the US is still the most important defense for SK.