[ti:South Korea Limits Google, Apple’s Control Over App Sales] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]South Korea lawmakers approved a law on Tuesday [00:05.80]banning app stores from controlling [00:09.08]how apps and their services are paid for. [00:14.28]South Korea is reportedly the first country in the world [00:18.80]to pass such a law. [00:21.68]Technology companies Google and Apple [00:25.20]operate profitable app stores. [00:29.16]They require app makers to use their payment systems. [00:35.12]Google and Apple have faced a lot of criticism [00:39.40]for their requirements on payment systems. [00:43.80]That is because they get up to 30 percent of the money [00:48.92]from the sales in their app stores. [00:52.84]They say that the money helps pay [00:55.52]for the cost of operating these stores. [00:59.80]Google’s Google Play and Apple’s App Store [01:04.72]are used by people around the world. [01:08.68]The new South Korean law prevents app stores [01:13.08]from using their strong market positions [01:16.48]to require use of their payment systems. [01:20.28]Instead, they must let app makers [01:24.76]give the public additional ways to pay. [01:29.52]South Korea says the ban is aimed [01:33.16]at supporting fairer competition. [01:37.96]The law also aims to prevent retaliation against app makers [01:44.08]by banning app stores from unreasonably delaying app approval. [01:51.68]Apple criticized the law in a statement Tuesday. [01:56.92]It said the law will “put users who purchase digital goods” [02:02.48]with other payment methods at risk of fraud. [02:07.64]The company also said [02:09.68]the law would weaken users’ privacy protections [02:14.12]and make it hard to oversee their purchases. [02:19.04]And, Apple said, it will make [02:22.20]parental controls and other tools less effective. [02:27.68]The company said user trust in app store purchases [02:32.20]will decrease and lead to fewer opportunities [02:36.64]for Korean app developers. [02:40.76]The new law will also let Korean officials [02:45.00]examine app markets to find disputes [02:49.20]and stop actions that block fair competition. [02:54.92]Officials in Europe, China and other places [02:59.04]worry about the market control [03:01.92]of Apple, Google and similar companies. [03:06.88]That includes their control over payment systems, [03:11.40]online advertisements and other things. [03:16.28]Chinese officials have fined some companies [03:20.04]for breaking rules meant to prevent monopolies. [03:25.52]Other governments are trying to decide [03:28.84]how best to keep markets competitive. [03:33.52]The Korea Internet Corporations Association [03:38.08]is an industry group. [03:40.76]Its members include South Korea’s largest internet companies, [03:46.28]such as Naver, a search engine and online shopping service. [03:53.12]Naver welcomed the passage of the law [03:56.36]and said it would create healthier competition. [04:01.68]The company also said it would give users [04:05.48]more choices at lower prices. [04:09.84]Google said it is considering how to obey the new law. [04:16.52]“Google Play provides far more than payment processing,” [04:21.16]and the service cost helps keep Android free, [04:25.64]the company said in a statement. [04:29.32]Android is Google’s operating system for smart phones. [04:34.64]The company said it gives developers the tools [04:39.08]to reach a market of billions of people around the world. [04:45.12]“And just as it costs developers money to build an app, [04:49.96]it costs us money to build” and keep [04:53.68]an operating system and app store, Google said. [04:58.64]Recently, Apple announced it will let makers of iPhone apps [05:04.12]tell users about low-cost ways [05:07.48]to buy digital subscriptions and media. [05:12.12]That decision was part of a legal case [05:15.56]involving iPhone app developers in the U.S. [05:21.52]Also, a U.S. federal court judge [05:25.16]will soon rule on a separate case brought by Epic Games. [05:31.72]The company created the popular video game Fortnite. [05:37.72]The judge wondered [05:39.32]why Apple would not let developers of apps like Fortnite [05:44.48]show different payment choices within their apps. [05:49.80]Over the last year, Google and Apple reduced the percentage [05:55.28]of sales they take from app makers from 30 percent to 15 percent. [06:03.00]That reduction is for app makers that earn [06:06.80]less than $1 million a year, [06:10.16]which is the case for most apps in their stores. [06:15.40]But that does not help the largest app makers, [06:19.12]like Epic Games and Spotify. [06:23.00]The two have taken their complaints around the world. [06:28.24]The European Union’s executive Commission [06:31.88]has accused Apple of forcing developers to use its payment system. [06:38.84]Several U.S. states brought a legal case in July [06:43.40]against Google’s app store. [06:46.96]And Australian officials have also said [06:50.60]they are concerned about Apple and Google’s requirements [06:55.36]related to payment methods. [06:57.88]I’m Alice Bryant. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM