Last week, Brazil’s antitrust regulator CADE gave Apple a 20-day deadline to allow users to download and purchase apps outside of the App Store, with fines for not complying. Now, a Brazilian federal court has canceled the injunction, ruling that it is “disproportionate and unnecessary,” 9to5Mac reported.
Cade ordered Apple to allow third-party developers to tell users about alternatives to in-app purchases, such as subscriptions, so that developers are not forced to pay fees to Apple. It also demanded that Apple open up its ecosystem to other stores or allow sideloading. Apple faces a fine of 250,000 reais (approximately $43,000) for each day it fails to comply within 20 days.
Apple appealed the decision, and the court agreed, arguing that it would be too difficult to implement the changes within that time frame. “Given the technical complexity of the changes and the global regulatory implications in similar decisions in other regions, such as the European Union, the need for a deeper discussion of such changes is further reinforced,” the judge wrote. handed down the verdict.
CADE launched the investigation after local e-commerce company Mercado Libre accused Apple of anti-competitive conduct. Regulators can appeal the ruling and still force Apple to comply.
