Victory for Apple: Antitrust Ruling Reversed in Brazil
Apple Successfully Appeals Brazilian Antitrust Ruling
End to Forcing App Sideloading and Third-Party Payments
Apple has achieved a major victory in Brazil, overturning an antitrust ruling that would have required the company to make significant changes to its App Store. A federal judge in Brazil has deemed the regulator’s demands "disproportionate and unnecessary," siding with Apple’s appeal.
The regulator, CADE (Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Economica), had requested that Apple allow app sideloading and third-party payment options on its App Store for local iOS users. This would have enabled developers to bypass Apple’s payment processing system and charge users directly through external websites.
As part of the original ruling, Apple would have had to comply within 20 days or face daily fines of $43,000. The regulator had also demanded that Apple allow developers to link to external websites for payments or let all developers handle these payments themselves.
This ruling marks a significant setback for CADE’s efforts to promote competition in the app market. Apple has previously made similar changes to its app downloads and payment options in the US, EU, South Korea, and Japan.
The legal battle is far from over, however. CADE can now appeal the ruling and is expected to do so promptly. This means that we may see further developments in this ongoing saga.
Source: Valor Econômico (in Portuguese)