Dutch foundation seeks consumer damages over Apple, Google app payments
reuters.com
reuters.com
edit: not sure why this is getting downvoted. This is a for-profit claim. Alexander describes himself as tech nerd. His positive public image comes from many bubbly media appearances explaining tech in a way the common denominator watching prime TV can understand. The company he ran is called "Blendle" and also added a 30% tax for all publishers which was reflected in the subscription price for consumers. Most people in the board of the foundation are notorious in the for-profit claim industry.
Because this is a thread for airing grievances about Apple, not the context behind the linked article or who's involved in a lawsuit.
I'll start by expressing my disappointment in the lack of a deleted [Delete] button on MacBook Pro keyboards. I resent having to use Fn+Backspace on Macs when all of my Windows laptops (I <3 ThinkPads) and Mac full-size desktop keyboards have a forward-delete key.
It's another example of Apple valuing visual and aesthetic simplicity over user-needs.
It will be an interesting WWDC.
When the penalty becomes larger than the profit from noncompliance. It's simple math: As long as the penalties they are charged cost them less than 30% of all app sale revenue, it makes sense for them to continue to demand the 30% and fight any attempts to make them charge less.
It's why I continue to think the solution is to put CEOs in jail: It changes the equation, and noncompliance is no longer considered a possible option for the business.
Alternatively, jail the company itself; for some period of time (days? Weeks?) it is unable to conduct any business, run any services, transfer or process any money, etc. Let imprisonment be as potentially life-ruining for a company as it is for the average man.
> At what scale of massive recurring societal harm (Google, Facebook, etc.) should we confiscate all assets [...] and auction off anything.
At the point where criminal fines and civil damages and penalties exceed the value of assets of the firm.
> disband the company
This is less clear. A difference between a juridical and a natural person is that you can't simply swap out the decision-making apparatus of a natural person. You can, if need be, to a juridical person like a corporation, so its not clear what purpose disbanding the firm (whether assets not needed to be obligations are returned or seized—the former being more analogous to the death penalty) serves.
The giants will not stop if the bad behavior still makes profit, Apple will add one more exception for the narrow case in each country they lose, and when they lose again will add a new super narrow exception.
This will continue until US force them to allow real choice for the users and be transparent about things(force them to replace "Buy" with "Rent", allow users to be informed about better alternatives, allow users to disable censorship )
"Person X "bought" music/books from store X in value of 10K and now he can't access it because some bullshit EULA"
"person Y "bought" 1 year subscription but was banned for 6 months by an algorithm, no right to appeal and no refunds" <- something similar happened to me
Person Z bought a device but after 1 month an update crippled it, W bought a device and the platform owner crippled the included browser and made it impossible to install a usable alternative.
That is most likely not going to work for a long time, EU-wide legislation is being prepared that will (among other things) most likely open the door for alternative app stores:
https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/euro...
As an iOS user, I don't think this would be a great outcome. But Apple called this upon them by charging an insane 30% (15% in some cases) and limiting alternative payment methods, etc.
https://world.hey.com/dhh/gritting-your-teeth-biding-your-ti...
In China for example they actually banned Apple Pay in everything except safari.