Latest News: Japan Enacts Regulatory Law to target Apple as well as Google Smartphone Market Dominance
Japan is the most recent country to adopt a regulatory law that target companies like Apple Inc. as well as Google LLC from limiting third-party businesses that wish to distribute and monetize their own apps for Google as well as Apple devices.
As per Kyodo News, "The law prohibits the developers of Apple's iOS and Google's Android smartphones operating systems, apps stores as well as payment systems from hindering the sales of applications and other services that compete directly with the native platforms' own." This is to stop the platforms from "gatekeeping" while also forcing greater competition between their own applications and those of other platforms.
The current Japan antimonopoly law provides fines of 6% on revenues gained via anticompetitive practices, the sanctions in the new, particular law amount to 20% of the domestic revenue generated from services that violate the provisions of this law. They will rise by 30% if illegal practices continue to exist.
The new law is anticipated to become effective by the end of 2025 The law, as Kyodo News points out is identical to one of EU's recent regulations (presumably it's the European Union's Digital Markets Act).
Kyodo News also reports that both Apple and Google issued announcements regarding their ongoing collaboration in partnership with Japanese regulators.
An earlier article from Kyodo News regarding the regulation which was passed first by Japan's Cabinet stated that it had voted to approve the regulation as "a attempt to challenge the duopoly exerted by industry bigwigs Apple Inc. as well as Google LLC," and that this regulation shows the Japanese government's determination to work with the EU by enacting further regulations "of Big Tech firms such like Apple, Google and Amazon.com Inc. that have come to exert an enormous influence on digital services across the globe."
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