Japan's Fair Trade Commission is investigating allegations that Apple pressured Yahoo Japan into pulling back from its Game Plus platform in the country, reports Nikkei.

Yahoo last fall submitted complaints about its Game Plus platform, a web-based service first launched in July 2017. Game Plus is designed to let users play games without needing to download a full app.

yahoogamesplus
52 companies were participating in Games Plus at launch, according to Nikkei, including major game makers like Square Enix, and Yahoo initially planned to expand the platform into other areas, like business software.

Yahoo cut its Game Plus budget last year and pulled back on promotions for the service. According to Yahoo, it did so because of "pressure behind the scenes from Apple." Such a platform competes with the App Store, where Yahoo also offers apps for sale.

Japan's Fair Trade Commission is said to be gathering information on the situation, which it says "may constitute interference in Yahoo's business prohibited by the Anti-Monopoly Act."

Nikkei says it's unclear how the investigation will proceed, as Japanese investment company SoftBank, a major Yahoo shareholder has stepped in to mediate. Companies also often hesitate to work with authorities, according to an attorney that spoke to Nikkei, which can make it difficult to prove wrongdoing.

Tag: Japan

Top Rated Comments

mi7chy Avatar
73 months ago
We've gone full circle.

Early mobile devices started out underspecced and not being able to render web sites properly then came about apps as helpers to display the web site in a simplified view. Now, devices are sufficiently powerful enough and mobile Chrome browser near parity with desktop version that the industry is shifting back to web apps with things like Android Go and web apps like code.org ('http://code.org').

I can see why companies that profit from locking down users to only their app store that take a % from sales and from expensive storage tiers would be very reluctant to adopt an open web app ecosystem without the need for local storage tiers.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mattoruu Avatar
73 months ago
I doubt it is even true, and yahoo is frankly responsible for years of managerial missteps going all the way back to Jerry Yang’s idiotic refusal of a Microsoft buyout.
Yahoo! is a malware company as far as I'm concerned, with both the Yahoo!-branded browser hijackers and the other malware that puts Yahoo! links everywhere on Windows PCs, which they must somehow be funding. Wouldn't be surprised if their iPhone app were malicious. Their stuff should be banned from every store.

If it were any company besides Yahoo! making these accusations, I might kinda believe them.
Yahoo! Japan was a separate company from Yahoo! They were separate companies with separate management teams. They shared the Yahoo! name and Yahoo! had a minority equity stake in Yahoo! Japan, but they were separate companies.

And I say "was/were/had" because Yahoo! doesn't even exist anymore. The old Yahoo! core assets are now part of Verizon and the non-core assets (including the Yahoo! Japan minority equity stake) are now part of the investment holding company Altaba.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pipis2010 Avatar
73 months ago
('https://www.macrumors.com/2018/08/15/apple-japan-anti-competitive-investigation/')


Japan's Fair Trade Commission is investigating allegations that Apple pressured Yahoo Japan into pulling back from its Game Plus platform in the country, reports Nikkei ('https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Apple-probed-in-Japan-over-anti-competitive-behavior').

Yahoo last fall submitted complaints about its Game Plus platform, a web-based service first launched in July 2017. Game Plus is designed to let users play games without needing to download a full app.



52 companies were participating in Games Plus at launch, according to Nikkei, including major game makers like Square Enix, and Yahoo initially planned to expand the platform into other areas, like business software.

Yahoo cut its Game Plus budget last year and pulled back on promotions for the service. According to Yahoo, it did so because of "pressure behind the scenes from Apple." Such a platform competes with the App Store, where Yahoo also offers apps for sale.

Japan's Fair Trade Commission is said to be gathering information on the situation, which it says "may constitute interference in Yahoo's business prohibited by the Anti-Monopoly Act."

Nikkei says it's unclear how the investigation will proceed, as Japanese investment company SoftBank, a major Yahoo shareholder has stepped in to mediate. Companies also often hesitate to work with authorities, according to an attorney that spoke to Nikkei, which can make it difficult to prove wrongdoing.

Article Link: Apple Facing Investigation in Japan Over Accusations of Anti-Competitive Behavior ('https://www.macrumors.com/2018/08/15/apple-japan-anti-competitive-investigation/')
That’s the kind of BS I don’t like from conglomerates like Apple and such unfair practices...so Apple isn’t a “saint” after all...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Elijen Avatar
73 months ago
It forbids them from offering apps for the iPhone, so yes, it definitely contributed.
If their entire business plan was to break Apple App Store guidelines they deserve to fail.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
acorntoy Avatar
73 months ago
We've gone full circle.

Early mobile devices started out underspecced and not being able to render web sites properly then came about apps as helpers to display the web site in a simplified view. Now, devices are sufficiently powerful enough and mobile Chrome browser near parity with desktop version that the industry is shifting back to web apps with things like Android Go and web apps like code.org ('http://code.org').

I can see why companies that profit from locking down users to only their app store that take a % from sales and from expensive storage tiers would be very reluctant to adopt an open web app ecosystem without the need for local storage tiers.
That’s what makes this so interesting for me, Steve Jobs originally wanted web apps, and when it wasn’t working they switched. It looks like Apple got mad at them for doing what Apple originally wanted the iPhone to be.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fairuz Avatar
73 months ago
[Edit: I didn't know Yahoo! Japan was a separate company from Yahoo!]

Yahoo! is a malware company as far as I'm concerned, with both the Yahoo!-branded browser hijackers and the other malware that puts Yahoo! links everywhere on Windows PCs, which they must somehow be funding. Wouldn't be surprised if their iPhone app were malicious. Their stuff should be banned from every store.

If it were any company besides Yahoo! making these accusations, I might kinda believe them.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...