Business
Indian app industry cheers South Korea move to rein in Apple and Google

The South Korean Parliament on Tuesday passed a Bill that is expected to rein in the control that Apple and Google have over payment systems in their app stores. The legislation is now awaiting the signature of the President of South Korea, Moon Jae-in.
This Bill is the first major legislation in the world to specifically target in-app markets and payment systems, even as market giants Apple and Google are facing global criticism for mandating the in-app use of their proprietary payment systems, and charging commissions of up to 30 per cent on the sale of apps and subscriptions through the app stores. Developers across the world have questioned these moves, and have demanded freedom to choose alternative methods of payment and distribution, such as via third-party app stores installed on the iOS or Android operating systems.
On Tuesday, South Korean legislators voted to approve amendments to their Telecommunications Business Act, with the intent of promoting fair competition in the app market industry. The bill prohibits app market business operators from taking advantage of their dominant status to force developers to use a specific payment system. It also prohibits app store service providers from engaging in activities such as preventing apps from registering on their stores, inappropriately delaying app registration and unfairly deleting apps from the app market. The move would also enable app developers to avoid the hefty commissions, and thus reduce costs both for developers and end-consumers.
In addition, the bill also empowers South Korea’s Minister of Science/ICT and the Korea Communications Commission to conduct an inquiry into the operations of the app market, to help the government more actively identify app-market related disputes and prevent acts that hinder fair competition and consumer interests.
This move comes as regulators worldwide have turned their attention to app stores and the fees they are charging developers. In the US, three senators introduced a bipartisan Bill earlier in August to promote fair competition by regulating in-app purchases and forcing dominant players from excluding third-party app stores from their operating systems. In India, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has been investigating Google for potential abuses of its dominant position in the market to promote its proprietary payment services.
Apple and Google have both publicly opposed attempts to regulate their business practices through legislation.
Meanwhile, several industry players have reacted positively to the developments in South Korea. Rakesh Deshmukh, Co-founder & CEO of Indus App Bazaar, India’s largest third-party app store, shared his support for the move. He said that “policy needs to support innovation. We hope that Google enhances developer choice by allowing the listing of app distribution platforms like Indus App Bazaar on the Play Store. That would help us to formulate a B2C journey. I hope that App Stores like ourselves are allowed a fair play environment on Google Play and Android. Furthermore, in India, we need to look into developer choice for app distribution & payment gateways from a policy perspective.”
Sijo Kuruvilla, Executive Director of the Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF), a startup alliance, welcomed the move by tweeting “Any legislation on the matter anywhere in the world will set a precedent for other nations to adopt and build on. To fair markets.”
Commenting on the developments from the US, the Coalition for App Fairness (CAF), an industry association of apps, reacted positively, terming it a momentous step forward, with Meghan DiMuzio, the Executive Director of CAF saying, “South Korean lawmakers and President Moon Jae-in have made history and are setting an example for the rest of the world. This law will hold app store gatekeepers accountable for their harmful and anti-competitive practices. The Coalition for App Fairness hopes U.S. and European lawmakers follow South Korea’s lead and continue their important work to level the playing field for all app developers and users.”
Match Group, that operates the largest portfolio of dating and social discovery apps such as Tinder and OKCupid, thanked South Korean Legislators in a statement, also saying that the legislation “… marks a monumental step in the fight for a fair app ecosystem…” and “…will put an end to mandatory IAP in South Korea, which will allow innovation, consumer choice, and competition to thrive in this market…” The statement adds, “We look forward to the bill being quickly signed into law and implore legislative bodies around the globe to take similar measures to protect their citizens and businesses from monopolistic gatekeepers that are restricting the Internet.”
Meanwhile, many Indian players have also noted these developments with interest, more so in context of opposition to Google’s “app tax” on in-app purchases and its impacts on local players.
NFN Labs, developers of popular apps like Screeny and Vookmark, who have had their share of run-ins with Google, Twitter, and Apple, have also been welcoming of alternative stores and choices of payment gateways.
Rajesh Padmanabhan, cofounder, NFN Labs in a statement said, “For our IoT product, Vookmark launching on Indus App bazaar has boosted our growth with a new set of engaged users…Additionally, we are exploring the ability to distribute and collect payments through alternative channels for our browser extensions, Android, and iOS packages. An alternative distribution that allows free uploads like Indus App Bazaar & lower commissions will certainly help to redirect funds for R&D and help us grow faster.”
The implications of the move in the Indian market remain to be seen, but Rakesh Deshmukh of Indus App Bazaar feels there is more that can be done with app distribution in India, “It’s about the choice of distribution; we all know that Google Play Store and App Store will continue to exist but we need more competition. We believe that choice is central to competition and hence when developers choose to distribute via our infrastructure, we allow a choice of payment gateway. This choice we believe would allow developers leverage to negotiate a reasonable fee with the two companies and payment gateway providers.”
Business
ICEA launches industry-wide initiative to foster tech and AI innovation

New Delhi, June 3: The India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) on Tuesday announced a unique industry-wide initiative to collaboratively foster tech and AI innovation for the benefit of India’s manufacturing sector.
The programme will connect companies with transformative innovations across domains such as advanced manufacturing, AI, IoT, energy efficiency, materials science, and more.
The ICEA launched Venture Access Labs — a technology innovation access programme in collaboration with venture capital fund Caret Capital.
This initiative aims to empower India’s electronics and appliances manufacturing companies by enabling them to discover, curate, and adopt cutting-edge technologies and innovations from across the world.
“Through Venture Access Labs, ICEA is proud to champion and unlock global innovation to strengthen India’s position as a global hub for manufacturing and electronics with a vision to build Indian Champions,” said Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman, ICEA.
“By opening the door to international technological advancements and building an innovation pipeline, we aim to accelerate India’s electronics manufacturing capabilities and global competitiveness so as to capture a larger global market share,” he added.
The comprehensive programme will cover several functions including procurement, planning, manufacturing, supply chain, finance, HR, legal and ESG.
Through this programme, companies will benefit from innovation trend spotting, curated access to high-impact startups and Ips, strategic matchmaking and pilot opportunities, tailored adoption pathways for new technologies, and facilitated investments in strategically relevant, vetted high-potential startups.
“It is time for the Indian electronics and appliances manufacturing to transit to tech first-led global leadership,” said Salil Kapoor, Co-founder and Chief mentor of Venture Access Labs.
It will be the innovation catalyst and partner, scanning and curating the latest tech and game-changing startups from across the world for Indian manufacturing companies to engage with, at a fraction of the cost if they were to do it on their own,” he mentioned.
National
Calcutta HC refuses ad-interim bail to law student held for hurting religious sentiments, seeks case diary

Kolkata, June 3: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday denied ad-interim bail to Sharmistha Panoli, the 22-year-old law student arrested recently by Kolkata Police on charges of hurting religious sentiments and promoting disharmony and hatred.
As her counsel approached the High Court, challenging the trial court’s order last week sending her to judicial custody till June 13, the matter came up for hearing before the vacation bench of Justice Partha Sarathi Chatterjee.
However, Justice Chatterjee denied any relief to Panoli, observing that the freedom of speech in the country does not allow anyone to hurt anyone’s religious sentiment.
An FIR was registered against Panoli at Garden Reach Police Station on May 15 for posting an Instagram video, where she made some comments on ‘Operation Sindoor’ that had reportedly hurt the religious sentiments of a particular community.
In the face of strong criticism, she deleted that video and also tendered a public apology for the matter. However, based on the FIR registered, the police first sent her a notice, which failed since she had gone into hiding in Gurugram by then.
Thereafter, an arrest warrant was issued against her, and finally, she was arrested from Gurugram by Kolkata Police on Saturday morning and was brought back to Kolkata on transit remand on the same day.
Rejecting the ad-interim bail, Justice Chatterjee observed that the video posted on social media had reportedly hurt the religious sentiments of a section of people. “We have freedom of speech, but that doesn’t mean you will go on to hurt others. Our country is diverse, with all people. We must be cautious,” he said.
He directed the police to submit the case diary in the matter by the next date of hearing on June 5.
The vacation bench also directed the state government to ensure that police do not pursue any other complaint filed against Panoli in any other police station. It also directed the police not to register any fresh complaints in the same matter.
National
Bodies of three workers recovered from flooded illegal coal mine in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh

Hazaribagh, June 3: Thirteen days after they were trapped, the bodies of three workers have been recovered from an illegal coal mine in Keredari block of Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district, officials said on Tuesday.
The deceased, whose bodies were recovered late on Monday night, have been identified as Pramod Shah, 45, Umesh Kumar, 25, and Naushad Ansari, 24 — all residents of Kandaber village under the Keredari police station area.
The three men were reportedly swept into the mine on May 21, when heavy rainfall caused the Khawa River to swell.
Villagers said the strong current pushed the workers into one of the numerous illegal tunnels that dot the region, many of which are controlled by coal mafias and continue to operate despite the risks involved.
The mine shaft where they were trapped was more than 100 feet deep and quickly flooded, making rescue efforts extremely challenging.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) conducted a three-day operation to locate and retrieve the bodies but had to suspend efforts due to waterlogging.
Subsequently, the task of dewatering the mine was taken up by NTPC and a private company. After days of continuous pumping, the water level finally receded, which enabled local villagers to recover the bodies late on Monday night.
On Tuesday morning, police sent the bodies for autopsy to Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College and Hospital in Hazaribagh. After the post-mortem, the bodies were brought back to Kandaber and cremated on Tuesday afternoon.
The incident plunged the village into mourning, with relatives and neighbours breaking down as the news spread.
There were scenes of chaos and wailing as the bodies were brought into the village.
Following the recovery, villagers renewed calls for compensation and the provision of government jobs for one dependent of each deceased worker.
Despite repeated incidents, illegal mining continues unabated in the Khawa river belt of Keredari, drawing hundreds of locals desperate for work and vulnerable to exploitation.
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