Monday, August 20, 2018

Apple is suspected to pressure Yahoo Japan

Apple is suspected to have breached competition law in Japan.


According to the media, the Fair Trade Commission doubts that Apple Japan had pressured unlawfully to Yahoo Japan. Yahoo planned to launch Game Plus, a new platform of online gaming. But Apple interrupted the operation of Yahoo with threatening it.

Nikkei: Apple accused of pressuring game rivals in Japan: Nikkei

As Apple has the greatest market for online software, so-called App Store, Yahoo could not cut the partnership with Apple. Thus, any similar services cannot be realized unless Apple approves it, from the view of competitors.

It is possible that Yahoo has accepted Apple's request not to grow Game Plus as big as competitive to App Store. In this case, their agreement will not be revealed to the public. The investigation of Fair Trade Commission will not be successful without the cooperation of Yahoo Japan.

In the business industry, there are complex relationships among companies anywhere. Continuous competition is necessary for the growth of the market and the satisfaction of consumers. For ensuring it, the regulators such as the Fair Trade Commission should take a censoring as far as necessary. But its efficacy is doubtful, unfortunately. It is the difficulty of the economy itself.

No comments:

Post a Comment