Operator Finance Kang Zhao Wen.
Recently, according to reports, the Seoul High Court of South Korea ruled on the 6th that Korean consumers partially won the second instance of the Apple class action lawsuit, and required Apple to compensate 70,000 won (about 380 yuan) to each of the seven plaintiffs. However, it is regrettable that more than 60,000 people sued in the first instance, but only 7 appealed in the second instance.
South Korean consumers were the first to dare to sue Apple, setting a global precedent. At the beginning of 2018, South Korean consumers filed a class action lawsuit against Apple Korea and others on the grounds that the iPhone system update had led to the decline in the performance of old mobile phones and forced users to replace the ** model in disguise, demanding that they compensate each of them 200,000 won (about 1,088 yuan). This is the first case in the world, relatively speaking, Chinese consumers do not like to use legal means against some companies that infringe on the interests of consumers, but prefer to go to the market supervision department to report the situation, so Chinese consumers are very tolerant of Apple.
The judgment of the Korean court was a reversal, with the first-instance judgment ruling against the plaintiff and the second-instance court ruling in favor of the plaintiff. Apple Korea said that it was not involved in the development and release of the system update software, and it is difficult to consider that it is obligated to inform users about the situation, so it does not admit liability for damages.
After losing the first-instance judgment, the vast majority of consumers did not appeal, resulting in only 7 people appealing in the end, and only these 7 people received compensation.
The verdict looks like a favorable outcome for consumers, but in fact it is poignant, with only seven people receiving compensation of about 380 yuan each, which is not a warning effect for Apple and is far from enough for these consumers' legal fees.
South Korea has been tough on Apple, and in October, the Korea Fair Fairness Commission (FTC) announced that it had fined Apple 18 billion won ($15 million) for violating South Korea's antitrust laws by abusing its dominant position in the mobile phone market and passing on repair costs to local operators.