Re:WordPressiOS Locked by App Store
by chrismorgan on Saturday August 22, 2020 @05:32AM
(#24242931)
I think it would be illegal in Australia.
Credit card networks have charges, and they used to tell businesses “you’re not allowed to pass this fee on to your customers”. I don’t know if they try to maintain this rule elsewhere, but this was confirmed to be illegal at some point in Australia (I dunno, maybe 10–15 years ago? I can’t immediately find a reference to the decision), so some businesses will say things like “1.5% surcharge for using Visa/Mastercard” (per https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/prices-surcharges-receipts..., the surcharge isn’t supposed to exceed the merchant’s actual costs; in practice I suspect it regularly does on small businesses, so that they can state a simple percentage rather than calculate more precise figures that vary by payment type).
If Apple tried to tell an Australian business “you may not pass the 30% fee on to your users”, I expect that business could appeal to… I don’t actually know who it would be, maybe the ACCC?
Credit card networks have charges, and they used to tell businesses “you’re not allowed to pass this fee on to your customers”. I don’t know if they try to maintain this rule elsewhere, but this was confirmed to be illegal at some point in Australia (I dunno, maybe 10–15 years ago? I can’t immediately find a reference to the decision), so some businesses will say things like “1.5% surcharge for using Visa/Mastercard” (per https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/prices-surcharges-receipts..., the surcharge isn’t supposed to exceed the merchant’s actual costs; in practice I suspect it regularly does on small businesses, so that they can state a simple percentage rather than calculate more precise figures that vary by payment type).
If Apple tried to tell an Australian business “you may not pass the 30% fee on to your users”, I expect that business could appeal to… I don’t actually know who it would be, maybe the ACCC?