Apple and Google are accused of anti-competitive behaviour in the mobile app market by the Japan FTC, which calls for regulation

According to a recent report from the Japan Fair Trade Commission (FTC), Apple and Google's management of mobile apps may violate Japanese antitrust laws. According to a report, Apple's iOS and Google's Android have a duopoly over the market for mobile operating systems in Japan, each holding 46.6% of the market. Additionally, they hold a dominant position in the app store market, where the FTC claims there is insufficient competition. Also, the FTC ordered Apple and Google to allow users to select a different payment method from one of their own instead of forcing them to use their own proprietary services. The 15% to 30% app store commission rates were also mentioned in the report, which could be viewed by Japanese antitrust law as an abuse of a dominant bargaining position. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="3500"] Image credit- Nikkei Asia[/caption] While Apple claimed that it believed a commission-based model was the best way to encourage app development, Google asserted that most developers were paid rates of 15% or less in written responses to the FTC. Additionally, the iPhone 14 Pro outperforms the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra in benchmarks for single-core performance by 21.02%. Also read: Efforts Are Being Made by a European Watchdog to Implement Stricter Regulation for Internet Browser Cookies The FTC urged both companies to maintain a level playing field because it claimed that they could manipulate search results to favour their own apps over competitors. Both companies denied engaging in such behaviour. According to the FTC report, the current antitrust laws are insufficient to address the rapidly evolving digital sector, and new laws are needed to prevent anti-competitive behaviour. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Image credit- Competiton Policy International[/caption] It's important to remember that the App Store has a 100% market share on iOS devices, whereas Google Play is thought to have a market share in the high 90% range for Android devices. Preventive regulation is a topic being discussed by the government's council on digital competition, and the FTC intends to collaborate closely with the government and participate in any future rule-making discussions. The Digital Markets Act, which is scheduled to take effect in 2023, demonstrates that the European Union is approaching regulation with caution. The law states that tech behemoths are prohibited from using their platforms to harm rivals or coerce users into using only their own payment services.