Epic's Tim Sweeney to speak in South Korea amid app store troubles
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney is scheduled to appear at a conference in South Korea next week, where he and other critics of Apple's App Store policies will discuss fairness in mobile app ecosystems.
The Coalition for App Fairness on Wednesday announced details of its upcoming Global Conference on Mobile App Ecosystem Fairness, set to take place on Nov. 15 and 16.
Sweeney will join CAF Executive Director Meghan DiMuzio, Match Group SVP Mark Buse, French Secretary of State for Digital Transition Cedric O for a round of talks and ensuing Q&A sessions with members of the media. Match Group CEO Shar Dubey and "other leaders" will take part in the event virtually.
Topics of discussion were not announced, but app stores will likely be a central focus as the group has voiced criticism of Apple and Google's handling of their respective online marketplaces. Epic, for example, is waging legal battles with both companies over in-app purchases, third-party app stores and other issues.
CAF was formed by Basecamp, Blix, Blockchain.com, Deezer, Epic Games, the European Publishers Council, Match Group, News Media Europe, Prepear, Protonmail, Skydemon, Spotify and Tile to "protect consumer choice, foster competition, and create a level playing field for all app and game developers globally."
The conference will take place in the wake of the passage of a South Korean law that requires app store operators to accept third-party payment systems. An amendment to the country's Telecommunications Business Act, the legislation bans Apple and Google from forcing developers to utilize first-party payment systems for in-app purchases. Additionally, the amendment places prohibitions on app store rules that dissuade developers from marketing their wares on other platforms.
The Korea Communications Commission, which is tasked with enforcing the law, asked Apple and Google to hand in compliance plans by October. As Reuters reports, Google submitted a proposal last week, but Apple is believed to be putting up resistance.
Read on AppleInsider
The Coalition for App Fairness on Wednesday announced details of its upcoming Global Conference on Mobile App Ecosystem Fairness, set to take place on Nov. 15 and 16.
Sweeney will join CAF Executive Director Meghan DiMuzio, Match Group SVP Mark Buse, French Secretary of State for Digital Transition Cedric O for a round of talks and ensuing Q&A sessions with members of the media. Match Group CEO Shar Dubey and "other leaders" will take part in the event virtually.
Topics of discussion were not announced, but app stores will likely be a central focus as the group has voiced criticism of Apple and Google's handling of their respective online marketplaces. Epic, for example, is waging legal battles with both companies over in-app purchases, third-party app stores and other issues.
CAF was formed by Basecamp, Blix, Blockchain.com, Deezer, Epic Games, the European Publishers Council, Match Group, News Media Europe, Prepear, Protonmail, Skydemon, Spotify and Tile to "protect consumer choice, foster competition, and create a level playing field for all app and game developers globally."
The conference will take place in the wake of the passage of a South Korean law that requires app store operators to accept third-party payment systems. An amendment to the country's Telecommunications Business Act, the legislation bans Apple and Google from forcing developers to utilize first-party payment systems for in-app purchases. Additionally, the amendment places prohibitions on app store rules that dissuade developers from marketing their wares on other platforms.
The Korea Communications Commission, which is tasked with enforcing the law, asked Apple and Google to hand in compliance plans by October. As Reuters reports, Google submitted a proposal last week, but Apple is believed to be putting up resistance.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
The illusion of control in the form of choice has always been used to exploit the naive but this is gross negligence on the part of the SK Government.
To me, he and his ilk are epic failures but then I'm not that into gaming. I'd rather watch paint dry than play the likes of Fortnite, GTA, and the rest. They have never appealed to me in the slightest.
Now he has a coalition of other millionaires who are also being treating mean by bad Apple. They are really fighting for the little guy!! No, really!!
And just stay there…
after inserting foot in mouth.
Also laughing that I still get a rise out of Sweeney on Twitter. He’s stopped responding to posts, but I often see him like a post that responded to one of mine.
A billionaire wasting time responding to a Twitter user like me with 50 followers just because I say something he doesn’t like. Priceless.
"First of all, it’s my store, and I’ll sell what I want, and I will not sell what I don’t want to sell. That’s my definition of freedom — I’m free to do whatever the hell I want with my store."