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<DIV><SPAN class=555361122-04072011><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial>I'm
not sure if there is a direct IG issue here (?) but this will potentially
influence the overall policy/regulatory environment and attitudes toward
international governance regimes I would have thought.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=555361122-04072011><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=555361122-04072011><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial>If
Internet delivered context of this kind is subject to domestic (municipal?)
consumer protection laws then what about for example, Canada's laws concerning
the requirement for bilingual packaging and so on?</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=555361122-04072011><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=555361122-04072011><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial>M</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=555361122-04072011><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr lang=en-us class=OutlookMessageHeader align=left><FONT size=2
face=Tahoma>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> David Sadoway
[mailto:bigbluearth@gmail.com] <BR><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, July 02, 2011 9:40
PM<BR><B>To:</B> michael gurstein<BR><B>Subject:</B> Fwd: TP: city government
exercising policy on Google Applications / consumer rights / Consumer Protection
Act / trial period<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>BTW this story in quite interesting in
that the City Government (Taipei City) was recently being quite proactive on
this e-governance matter.
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>~d</DIV>
<DIV><BR>
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<H1 class=title>Google pulls paid apps from Taiwan after being fined</H1>
<H3><SPAN class=a1>REFUND:$B!'(J</SPAN>The US search giant, which was fined for not
providing seven days of free trial, said it was discussing the issue with
Taipei City officials</H3>
<H3 class=reporter>By Jason Tan / Staff Reporter</H3>
<H3 class=date>Tue, Jun 28, 2011 - Page 1</H3>
<DIV><BR class=webkit-block-placeholder></DIV>
<H3>
<P>Taiwanese users of Google Inc$B!G(Js Android Market were left in the dark
yesterday as the search engine giant removed the paid app section from its
online store.</P>
<P>The removal of the paid app section came after the Taipei City Government
slapped Google with a NT$1 million (US$345,500) fine for failing to offer
Taiwanese consumers a seven-day free-trial mechanism as mandated by law.</P>
<P>$B!H(JWe are suspending paid apps in Taiwan while we continue to discuss this
issue with the Taipei City Government,$B!I(J Google Taiwan said in a statement
yesterday.</P>
<P>15-MINUTE REFUND</P>
<P>$B!H(JAndroid Market already provides a 15-minute refund window for all paid
apps — which reflects the fact that apps are delivered over-the-air instantly
and most users who request a refund [could] do so within minutes of their
purchase,$B!I(J the company said in the statement.</P>
<P>This policy helps consumers make educated decisions about the apps they
buy, while enabling Taiwanese developers to manage their businesses
effectively, the statement read.</P>
<P>The escalation in the row came after negotiation between Google —
represented by a lawyer and teleconferencers from its US headquarters — and
the city broke down yesterday morning.</P>
<P>$B!F(JCOERCION$B!G(J</P>
<P>The city government said the suspension was a move to $B!H(Jcoerce Taiwanese
consumers into giving up their rights$B!I(J and it demanded Google submit an
$B!H(Jimprovisation plan$B!I(J by Friday.</P>
<P>The Mountain View, California-based company will be sending officials to
Taipei on Thursday to continue talks with the city government, while city
authorities said a second penalty might be imposed depending on the stance
taken by the search engine giant.</P>
<P>On Friday, the city government issued Google an ultimatum mandating that it
introduce a seven-day free-trial mechanism for its Android Market.</P>
<P>Yeh Ching-yuan ($BMU7D85(J), director of the city$B!G(Js Law and Regulation Commission,
then said a fine would be levied if the firm still refused to abide by the
Consumer Protection Act ($B>CJ]K!(J).</P>
<P>Users of Apple Inc$B!G(Js iPhones or Android-equipped smartphones can purchase
and download application software through Apple$B!G(Js App Store or the Android
Market respectively, but neither company offers an extensive free-trial
mechanism that allows customers to return the programs or be refunded if they
are dissatisfied or if the goods prove to be faulty.</P>
<P>On June 4, the city government gave both companies a 15-day grace period to
revise their app sales and service provisions to include a seven-day
free-trial mechanism.</P>
<P>While Apple complied with the request, Google did not.</P>
<P>SIGHT UNSEEN</P>
<P>The Consumer Protection Act requires a free-trial period of at least seven
days for items purchased over the Web because consumers cannot feel or touch
the goods before purchase.</P>
<P>Previously, Web sites have said they were not covered by the law, but last
year the government said an agreement was reached with Web site operators such
as PChome Online ($BLVO)2HDm(J) and -Yahoo-Kimo Inc ($B2m8W4qK`(J) that would see them adhere
to the free-trial provision.</P>
<P>APP STORES</P>
<P>However, $B!H(Japp stores$B!I(J were not included in last year$B!G(Js deal.</P>
<P>Yeh said this is because purchasing apps for mobile devices is a trend that
has only recently emerged in Taiwan.</P>
<P>The terms of service for the App Store and Android Market both state that
the two companies are not liable for apps developed by third parties.</P>
<P>HTC Corp ($B9(C#EE(J), the world$B!G(Js No. 5 smartphone brand, yesterday said it did
not expect the row to have $B!H(Jmuch impact$B!I(J on the sales of its handsets because
users could download free-trial versions of some apps, before finally making a
purchase decision.</P>
<P>HTC is the world$B!G(Js largest producer of smartphones running on both Android
and Windows operating systems and its first tablet PC — dubbed the HTC Flyer —
as well as recent releases of smartphones all run on versions of
Android.</P></H3>
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<H3 class=url>Published on <A href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/">Taipei
Times</A> :</H3><A
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