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France: Regulator to sue Apple and Google over ‘abusive’ developer practices

By  |  March 14, 2018

France is taking Google and Apple to court over “abusive” app developer practices and could impose millions of euros in penalties. Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told RTL that the government has a problem with the onerous conditions the tech giants impose on French startups.

“I will therefore be taking Google and Apple to the Paris commercial court for abusive trade practices,” Le Maire said.

“As powerful as they are, Google and Apple should not be able to treat our startups and our developers the way they currently do.”

France’s consumer fraud watchdog, the DGCCRF, confirmed in a subsequent statement that it had begun legal action against the US technology groups.

Google spokeswoman Mathilde Mechin said: “We believe our terms comply with French laws and are looking forward to making our case in court.” An Apple spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.

Full Content: Reuters

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