South Korea’s National Assembly passed a law which, while nicknamed after Google, will prevent both Google and Apple from forcing developers to use their respective in-app billing systems. So far, there has been no comment from Mountain View or Cupertino.
My guess is that both companies will comply with South Korea’s new law, and it will serve as a tipping point — meaning that other countries will follow South Korea’s lead, and a few billion dollars in revenue will be taken from Google and Apple as each sovereign government passes a similar law.
Or… there is a very slight possibility that both Google and Apple just say no and close their app stores in South Korea, which would render almost every smartphone in South Korea useless and would force the government of South Korea to repeal its new law. I don’t think that Google and Apple will be that bold, but the fight would be an interesting test of power. What’s more important: your phone or a law that might slightly enrich a few thousand developers?
Author’s note: This is not a sponsored post. I am the author of this article and it expresses my own opinions. I am not, nor is my company, receiving compensation for it.