App Store regulation continues. Brazilian regulator CADE is holding a public hearing on February 19 to discuss Apple and Google and their competitive digital market ecosystems. An antitrust complaint was filed against Apple in 2022 by Brazilian regulator Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Economica, or CADE. After an investigation and a bad ruling for Apple, an unreasonable implementation timeline was proposed and quickly overturned.
While the regulator waits for its next official court date, it has set up a public hearing to discuss matters around regulating Apple and Google's digital marketplaces. The notice was initially reported by MacMagazine and shared by 9to5Mac. The hearing is set for Wednesday, February 19, at 2 p.m. local time. Participation is open to the public, but registration for contributions to the hearing ended on February 12.
The hearing is titled "Competitive Aspects of Mobile Operating Systems Digital Ecosystems," and representatives from Apple and Google will be in attendance. Epic Games, Match Group, the Coalition for App Fairness, and others will also make statements. Apple has already implemented changes to the App Store in the United States to remove anti-steering rules as a result of the Epic vs. Apple trial. The Brazilian regulator will likely seek similar changes, but the back and forth will likely continue for some time.
The initial ruling finding Apple guilty of anti-steering practices still holds, but the expected implementation timeline and fines were overturned by the judge while Apple appeals. The initial expectation was that Apple would have to implement changes within 20 days or face fines of up to $43,000 per day. There is no news around when the next hearing will be where Apple will appeal the charges. There's a chance appeals and hearings will continue for months to come before Apple is ultimately forced to comply in some way or another.
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