This photos show logos of global tech giants Google and Apple. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — A U.S.-based group of companies is celebrating the passing of the revised bill of the Telecommunications Business Act in South Korea to curb the sway of Google and Apple when it comes to app store fees.
One U.S. game developer welcomed the news, calling himself “a Korean.”
“As President Kennedy said at the Berlin Wall in 1963, today all developers around the world can be proud to say: I am a Korean!” Tim Sweeney, founder and CEO of video game maker Epic Games Inc., said in a tweet.
Sweeney equated this moment to late former U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s speech at the Berlin Wall on June 26, 1963.
As he referred to an article by the Wall Street Journal, Sweeney said that “Korea has rejected digital commerce monopolies and recognized open platforms as a right,” adding that “this marks a major milestone in the 45-year history of personal computing.”
“It began in Cupertino, but the forefront today is in Seoul,” he said.
Dating app Tinder owner Match Group Inc. called the South Korean action “historic” and “a monumental step in the fight for a fair app ecosystem,” praising South Korean lawmakers for “bold leadership.”
The Wall Street Journal, CNN and other major foreign media outlets have reported that South Korea is now taking the lead in the global trend to restrict in-app purchases, which have been pointed out as the primary means for IT giants Google and Apple to take sway over online platforms.
The revised bill of the Telecommunications Act bans app market platforms such as those run by Google or Apple from forcing users to engage in in-app purchases.
The new regulations are the first worldwide to legally ban platform operators from collecting excessive commissions from in-app purchases.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
