Following a significant defeat in the U.S. on its case against Epic Games, Apple was just dealt another blow, this time in Brazil. Last March, the company successfully reversed a decision that would have compelled it to enable sideloading for users in Brazil within 90 days. The decision stemmed from an antitrust ruling that declared the App Store’s anti-steering rules illegal.
Today, the decision was reversed once again.
Off again, on again
Following a complaint filed by e-commerce giant MercadoLibre in 2023, Brazilian antitrust regulator CADE decided last November that Apple’s anti-steering rules were illegal.
CADE then prohibited Apple from banning developers from linking outward to sell in-app content, and said Apple was to allow for “other tools and mechanisms” to distribute their apps.
The regulator originally gave Apple 90 days to implement these changes. Apple appealed and, just a few days later, the company successfully convinced a Federal Civil Court to issue a decision to hold off on the changes.
Today, the exact opposite took place. According to Brazilian business newspaper Valor Econômico (via MacMagazine), a federal court reinstated the original injunction and reset Apple’s 90-day deadline to implement the changes.
As it stands now, both sides have legal avenues they can pursue to make their case. But if the last few weeks serve as any indication, it sure doesn’t look good for Apple.
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