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Apple Faces Epic Games-Style China Lawsuit Over App Store Practices

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Apr 12, 2001
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A Chinese court has agreed to hear a lawsuit against Apple from Beijing Bodyreader, a developer seeking around $420,000 in damages after their children's posture correction app was removed from the App Store in 2020.

App-Store-Blue-Banner-Chinese-Flag-Feature.jpg

Bloomberg reports that the case – the first of its kind to be heard in Beijing's intellectual property court – bears similarities to Epic Games' 2021 lawsuit against Apple. Bodyreader claims Apple unfairly removed their app citing "dishonest" behavior, while also challenging the company's 30% commission on app purchases and its control over the iOS ecosystem.

According to court documents reviewed by Bloomberg, Bodyreader argues that Apple's enforcement of App Store policies is inconsistent. The developer notes that after their original app was removed, they successfully published an identical app under a different name, "Qilin Century," which remains available on the App Store. Closed-door hearings began Thursday and could conclude this week.

The hearing represents the first time Apple has been forced to defend its standard mobile platform practices against a Chinese developer. Earlier this year, Apple successfully fought off antitrust accusations from a Chinese consumer, but the company still went so far as to appeal to remove references to its market dominance from the ruling.

Bodyreader is seeking monetary damages, an apology, and a court declaration that Apple engages in unfair monopolistic behavior. The developer has also requested that Apple be required to allow third-party app stores and external payment links.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Apple Faces Epic Games-Style China Lawsuit Over App Store Practices
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/11/12/apple-china-lawsuit-antitrust-app-store/
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Reactions: gusmula and SFjohn
There always will be glitches when enforcing policies. The question is if denial of the first or permitting the last was the glitch.

If 80-90% of all apps on Android or iOS were removed, those worlds would be better places.
 
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Wow isn’t that a funny coincidence. Almost like the CCP was bankrolling Epic’s lawfare the whole time just to get this result so they could force their own CCP controlled store onto all devices.

Who could have seen this coming?
 
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Reactions: gusmula, JohnArtist, SFjohn and 6 others
Well I for one appreciate the hypocrisy irony of a state who runs on the principle of policing and controlling all information suing Apple for policing their own app store as "unfair monopolistic behavior"
 
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GMShadow said:
Wow isn’t that a funny coincidence. Almost like the CCP was bankrolling Epic’s lawfare the whole time just to get this result so they could force their own CCP controlled store onto all devices.

Who could have seen this coming?
Click to expand...

The CCP didn't need what Epic was doing, nor did they care. China can, more or less, do as they wish...they are one of the most powerful and influential countries in the world.
 
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GMShadow said:
Wow isn’t that a funny coincidence. Almost like the CCP was bankrolling Epic’s lawfare the whole time just to get this result so they could force their own CCP controlled store onto all devices.

Who could have seen this coming?
Click to expand...
Why would The Party care about lawsuits or keeping up appearances elsewhere? In China there is no rule of law and verdicts are determined in advance to the desired outcome for The Party. It will get its way if it wants, the only difference is which state faction of The Party the "private firm" represents and how far The Party will tolerate its gamesmanship against some other faction of the state that tolerates Apple existing if at all.
WarmWinterHat said:
The CCP didn't need what Epic was doing, nor did they care. China can, more or less, do as they wish...they are one of the most powerful and influential countries in the world.
Click to expand...
Is that a euphemism for totalitarian police state?
 
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wanha said:
Well I for one appreciate the hypocrisy irony of a state who runs on the principle of policing and controlling all information suing Apple for policing their own app store as "unfair monopolistic behavior"
Click to expand...

WarmWinterHat said:
The CCP didn't need what Epic was doing, nor did they care. China can, more or less, do as they wish...they are one of the most powerful and influential countries in the world.
Click to expand...

fzJNotIBOxgnbqejSeVCvJScL said:
Why would The Party care about lawsuits or keeping up appearances elsewhere? In China there is no rule of law and verdicts are determined in advance to the desired outcome for The Party. It will get its way if it wants, the only difference is which state faction of The Party the "private firm" represents and how far The Party will tolerate its gamesmanship against some other faction of the state that tolerates Apple existing if at all.

Is that a euphemism for totalitarian police state?
Click to expand...

This is private firm suing other private firm, why you guys just assume government is behind?

Should I assume Department of Justice in US helped Epic game or European Council helped Spotify?
 
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WarmWinterHat said:
No, while I agree that China is a police state, it doesn't really matter. Corporations, in every country, operate at the pleasure of the government and populace.
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Strike “populace” and I’ll agree. What the populace wants is never a consideration in these matters. It’s all battles between businesses using lobbyists.
 
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winxmac said:
Apple may stop having an App Store for China and stop manufacturing iPhone models in China in the future...
Click to expand...

I believe that it will happen, but will take time. If I recall, India is close to pulling ahead in some manufacturing lines. As for the App Store there, I’m sure china would like to mandate only a state-controlled one.
 
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MacRumors said:
Bodyreader claims Apple unfairly removed their app citing "dishonest" behavior, while also challenging the company's 30% commission on app purchases and its control over the iOS ecosystem.
Click to expand...
The name of Beijing Bodyreader's founder and CEO?

Mr. Dìmu Sui-Ni.

sweeneythumb.jpg


(joking obviously... I actually can't find any info on the company 😅)
 
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It will likely lose as Apple’s marketshare in the region is 14%. The developer could release their app for LITERALLY anything else and have more users. :) Additionally, using monopolistic language has failed everywhere it has been attempted.

In the EU, they made up a new term, gatekeeper, carefully constructed to specifically affect the profits large US companies. That kind of thing wouldn’t work in China as they actually HAVE tech companies, still. Many that, due to the actions of the Chinese government, have ACTUAL controlling marketshare. Any court ruling that affects Apple would affect the non-Apple market far more.

(It could be that they released their app on the iPhone because the App Store fee is FAR LESS than the majority app stores charge! I saw a reference to 50% fee, but that was from an article a couple years ago. If that’s still the case, then this case has no chance in… China).

EDIT: I was so curious I looked for a more recent story and, yup, from this year in a story about Huawei considering raising their store commission from free to 20% “Rival Android store operators in China, such as Xiaomi, charge as much as 50 per cent on in-game purchases.”
www.businesstimes.com.sg

Huawei weighs app store fees as it surpasses iPhone in China

HUAWEI Technologies is considering taking a cut of in-app purchases on its Harmony mobile operating system, underscoring its growing confidence in competing with Apple in the world’s largest smartphone arena. Read more at The Business Times.
www.businesstimes.com.sg www.businesstimes.com.sg
Yeah, of 50% is the norm for the big stores. I don’t see how a LOWER fee would be a problem. Maybe they’ll just have to be more transparent specifically to China, but I doubt they’ll be fining a percentage of what Apple makes AROUND THE WORLD. :) As I said above, they HAVE a healthy tech economy outside Apple and Google. The EU? Not so much.
 
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Tago said:
There always will be glitches when enforcing policies. The question is if denial of the first or permitting the last was the glitch.

If 80-90% of all apps on Android or iOS were removed, those worlds would be better places.
Click to expand...
Bigger question is did they appeal the rejection or did they just release it as a new company which is shady.
 
winxmac said:
Apple may stop having an App Store for China and stop manufacturing iPhone models in China in the future...
Click to expand...
like thats even a threat, apple already setting up shop in india. if china ever issue a gag order to haul apple, there goes 72 billion of apple's profit 😂
 
While the case may, in broad strokes, resemble the Epic case, the details regarding the area of jurisdiction are so different that it doesn’t make it similar at all. I have come to like these clickbait-like stories, though, as, when I look into the actual details, I do learn a little more about how different parts of the world works. I never knew that most developers for different flavors of Android in China are regularly paying up to 50% in commissions making the App Store a relative bargain… for the TINY number of people that the developers can reach given it’s Apple’s market share. To that end, I kinda appreciate the fact that they left out details like that as it made me look up (several) articles myself!
 
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