Wired
On April 1, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry began full-scale regulation of giant IT companies and designated five companies, including Apple, as regulated targets. It aims to increase the transparency and fairness of transactions in the digital market.
Regulate giant IT companies
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is subject to the “Act on Improvement of Transparency and Fairness of Specified Digital Platforms (Transaction Transparency Act)” that regulates giant IT companies, which came into effect on April 1, 2021. , Apple, Google, Amazon, Yahoo, and Rakuten Group have been designated.
Businesses that operate online malls such as Rakuten Ichiba and app stores such as the App Store will be regulated by law to unilaterally raise fees for business operators and app developers who open stores. I will.
NHK reported on April 1 that Rakuten Group and Yahoo have started to respond after being designated by the Transaction Transparency Law.
According to NHK, the Rakuten Group has set up a point of contact for complaints from stores, and Yahoo is revising the guidelines for permission criteria for store openings.
Consultation counter of Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
In addition, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced on April 1 that it has set up a consultation desk for online mall store operators and app developers.
The following is an example of the support provided at the consultation desk.
- Questions for giant IT companies, advice on how to consult
- Providing information from lawyers and subsidizing expenses
- Implementation of briefing sessions and legal counseling sessions
The consultation desk also accepts consultations by phone or email. Please check the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry page below for the details of the window.
- Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry page
In the United States and Europe, investigations into the market monopoly of giant IT companies are being conducted, and a subcommittee of the US House of Representatives submitted a report in 2020 that the App Store is monopoly.
Source: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, NHK
(seng)
Source: iPhone Mania