Brazil antitrust body rules Apple must lift restrictions on in-app payments

MercadoLibre

26/11/2024 24:31

SAO PAULO, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Brazilian antitrust
regulator Cade said on Monday that Apple must lift restrictions
on payment methods for in-app purchases, among other things, as
the watchdog moved to proceed with an investigation into a
complaint filed by Latin America e-commerce giant MercadoLibre.
    Apple  AAPL.O  in Brazil declined to comment. MercadoLibre
 MELI.O  did not immediately respond to a request for comment
outside normal business hours. 
    MercadoLibre's complaint, filed in 2022 in Brazil and
Mexico, accused Apple of imposing a series of restrictions on
the distribution of digital goods and in-app purchases,
including banning apps from distributing third-party digital
goods and services such as movies, music, video games, books and
written content.
    In the complaint, MercadoLibre criticized the California
tech giant for requiring developers that offer digital goods or
services within apps to use Apple's own payment system and
stopping them from redirecting buyers to their websites.
    Cade ruled that Apple must allow app developers to add tools
so customers can buy their services or products outside the app,
such as through the use of hyperlinks to external websites.
    Another preventive measure is that Apple must allow app
developers to offer other in-app payment processing options
apart from the one owned by Apple, the regulator added. 
    Apple will have 20 days to comply with the measures, Cade
said, imposing a 250,000 real (about $43,000) fine per day if
Apple fails to comply with the demands. 

($1 = 5.7983 reais)

 (Reporting by Andre Romani and Alberto Alerigi Jr.; Editing by
Leslie Adler)
 ((Andre.Romani@thomsonreuters.com; 11 991314109;11 56447500;))