Apple, one of the leading technology companies in the world, has been under the scanner by the antitrust agencies in the United States and the European Union. But those two aren’t the only regions where it is facing such troubles.

The company is being investigated in South Korea by the Korean Fair Trade Commission over allegations of it abusing its dominant position to force mobile carriers to pay for advertising and warranty repairs.

Now, aiming to address those concerns, Apple has offered to provide support programs for small business and is willing to spend around 100 billion won, which is approximately $84.02 million. As a part of the proposal, Apple has also agreed to fix the “unfair” terms with the mobile carriers, reports CNBC.

The regulator will now collect public opinion for the proposed remedies and if it seems reasonable, the case will be closed without concluding whether Apple did anything illegal.

The Korea Fair Trade Commission says that Apple will discuss how to share advertising costs with telecom firms, which will help reduce burdens to carriers. Out of the 100 billion won, the company will spend 40 billion won to support Research & Development for Korea’s small manufacturers.

EDITOR’S PICK: Samsung Mini LED Smart TVs to reportedly launch next year

It will be spending around 25 billion won to establish an “academy” for developers. Further, the company will spend another 25 billion won on consumer discounts for warranty repair costs and other benefits.

Apple has also been facing similar antitrust pressures in other countries. Earlier this year, in March, France fined Apple 1.1 billion euros, about $1.23 billion for anti-competitive behavior toward its distribution and retail network.

There are now growing concerns about how Apple is managing its App Store, and broadly the whole developer ecosystem. The company is especially under scrutiny for forcing developers to use its in-app purchases system. Epic Games has filed a lawsuit against Apple after its Fortnite game was kicked-off the App Store this month, and several other big brands are also joining in.

UP NEXT: Apple may discontinue iPhone 11 Pro, Pro Max, and XR after iPhone 12 launch

The post Apple proposes programs worth $84 million in South Korea to settle antitrust probe appeared first on Gizmochina.

Qualcomm, the smartphone chipset maker has been asked to pay a huge fine of 1.03 trillion (around $853 million) by the South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) for violating antitrust laws.

In summer this year, KFTC had carried out an investigation on the U.S. based chipset maker in South Korea over unfair business practices. Hence, Qualcomm has been fined a massive sum of $853 approximately. It is the highest ever fine imposed fine by KFTC.

Qualcomm has multiple patents in CDMA and LTE cellular network standards. It charges royalties from various smartphone makers and chipmakers for using its patents. A recent report has revealed that it generated $6.5 billion in the most recent fiscal year.

It collects royalties based on the cost of a mobile device. This indicates the company earns huge revenue through royalty licenses.  According to KFTC, Qualcomm has not only denied to share patent rights with chipset manufacturing companies but also made them to sign unfavorable agreements and it did not pay anything for their patents.

It stated that, “The accusation also includes restricting competition by limiting licensing of its standard essential patents to rivals such as Intel, Samsung Electronics and MediaTek.” The regulatory body has ordered the chip maker to renegotiate with rival companies on patents and supply contracts.

Related: Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 to Appear in Windows PCs Starting Next Year: Bad News for Intel

It indicates that Qualcomm will be required resign its contracts with companies like Apple, Samsung and Huawei.  The chipset maker has said that it will challenge the verdict in the Seoul High Court. However, the company is required to pay the fine within 60 days of the announcement of the verdict.

However, one should know that KFTC’s decision will not be implemented until it issues a written notice to Qualcomm. It can around four to six months for the regulatory body to issue a written order.

It isn’t the first case levied upon Qualcomm on unfair business practices. Qualcomm had to pay $975 million as fine in China when it violated the antitrust regulatory laws of the country. It has also paid fine in EU for similar issue and for the same matter it is under investigation in Taiwan and the U.S.

(Source 1, 2)

The post Qualcomm Asked to Pay Over $850 Million Fine For Violating Antitrust Laws in South Korea appeared first on Gizmochina.