On the morning of January 12, Apple announced that it will comply with a South Korean law that allows users to pay for apps through third-party channels. This law also applies to the same areas that already exist for Google.
Over the past year, antitrust has become a major theme in the tech industry. Apple’s control of iOS application sales channels is one of the representatives. While they tried to evade regulatory pressure by reducing commissions for some small and medium developers from 30% to 15%, they still lost a major case in the United States.
And now in South Korea, a law has been passed that forces Google and Apple to allow app developers to use third-party payment platforms. The law went into effect as early as last September, but Apple initially objected. Until today, The Korea Herald reported that Apple has said it will comply with the law:
South Korean regulators said Tuesday that app store operators are barred from forcing the use of their own in-app payment systems under a new South Korean law. Apple said it plans to offer an alternative payment system that costs 30 percent lower than the current service fee, as the tech giant filed a compliance plan with the Korea Communications Commission (KCC).
The company did not provide an exact date when the policy would go into effect, nor did it provide a fee for the service, but said it plans to discuss further details with KCC Other countries are expected to follow the lead of the United States and South Korea, and many antitrust experts believe Apple will eventually be forced to adopt similar policies globally.