After a 20-month suspension and a lengthy lawsuit, Android users in Taiwan will be able to buy paid apps again through Google Play.
In June 2011, the Taiwanese government passed a law saying that all paid content apps had to provide a free 7-day trial in order to comply with Consumer Protection Act that allow buyers to return a product they buy online within seven days. Apple complied, but Google pushed back saying its policy that allows users to seek refunds for paid apps within 15 minutes after purchase was sufficient.
The Taiwanese government then fined the Internet giant TW$1,000,000 ($33,744) — twice. But instead of complying, Google simply suspended downloads of any and all apps to Android devices in Taiwan.
In December 2012, a high court ruled the Taiwanese government could not regulate the Google’s return policy. In January, the government said it would not appeal the decision citing the interest of consumers.
This is notable since Taiwan ranks in the top 10 of largest countries in terms of free downloads, leaving behind large European countries like the United Kingdom and France. So by depriving consumers, Google is able to generate popular support for laws that may act against consumer interest.
Paid content creators may want to keep this lesson in mind when dealing with other revenue-unfriendly laws.
