Last week we saw Apple dealt a significant blow in terms of controlling its App Store, following a lawsuit settlement involving developers. One of the key changes that the settlement includes, is the ability for developers to communicate with customers over payment options. 

This week, both Apple and Google could suffer telling blows, with South Korea putting a bill that would allow third-party payment services to be facilitated within the respective marketplaces for customers in that region. 

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal (paywall), the bill is set to be signed into law by South Korean president Moon Jae-in. 

Along with allowing for third-party payment options on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, the bill would also put in place new rules to stop unreasonable approval delays on apps. 

On top of this, platforms which fail to comply with the ruling, could face a fine of up to 3 percent of their revenue within South Korea. 

With Google and Apple fighting in other parts of the world over how their platforms and marketplaces are run, should this bill come into play, it could have implications on a global scale. 

Over the past couple of years we have seen the likes of Apple hold firm against the likes of the Epic Store and Spotify over its marketplace policies, while Google has suffered several antitrust lawsuits regarding the dominance that its digital storefront commands. 

In the coming months we could see more governments looking at the way that Google, Apple and other tech firms operate.

[Image – Photo by Daniel Bernard on Unsplash]