Sure, there are already plenty similar laws throughout countries in the EU. Like the Impressum law in Germany, Austria etc. That requires to include contact information on German commercial websites.
Just because the Impressum law exists, it doesn't mean it is a good thing… The new requirement adds unnecessary friction, not value, to new exploratory projects on the App Store.
< 10% of people who use my (solo dev) published apps are in the EU, so if I don't provide the "Are you a trader?" information they're asking for, will the apps eventually just get de-listed in the EU?
I'll take that as a tradeoff for not having my name, home address and phone number all published together on the App Store
What is incredible is that this makes the opposite point Gruber thinks he's making.
1. For legalese, the definition of "trader" is incredibly simple.
2. The definition of "trader" is a broad definition. It's up to specific service providers to explain to their users/customers/partners how that translates to their service.
The fact that Apple is willing to not make the minuscule effort to translate what the broader "trader" definition means in the context of the App Store, is evidence of the fact that they have a monopoly and they're not worried about competitors, so they can basically spit on the faces of their app developers just to spite the EU and not worry about any negative impact at all.
The pearl clutching about having to provide your name and address is hilarious considering Apple already requires far more information to create an Apple Developer Account.
> you’ll need to provide basic personal information, including your legal name and address.
> If you’re enrolling your organization, you’ll need an Apple ID with two-factor authentication turned on, as well as the following to get started:
A D-U-N-S® Number
> Legal Entity Status
> Legal Binding Authority
> A Website
Apple creates a scare page out of spite and the Apple fanbois fall right for it.
10 comments
[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 33.0 ms ] threadBut I'm not going to publish my personal address and phone number.
I'll take that as a tradeoff for not having my name, home address and phone number all published together on the App Store
1. For legalese, the definition of "trader" is incredibly simple. 2. The definition of "trader" is a broad definition. It's up to specific service providers to explain to their users/customers/partners how that translates to their service.
The fact that Apple is willing to not make the minuscule effort to translate what the broader "trader" definition means in the context of the App Store, is evidence of the fact that they have a monopoly and they're not worried about competitors, so they can basically spit on the faces of their app developers just to spite the EU and not worry about any negative impact at all.
https://developer.apple.com/programs/enroll/
> you’ll need to provide basic personal information, including your legal name and address.
> If you’re enrolling your organization, you’ll need an Apple ID with two-factor authentication turned on, as well as the following to get started: A D-U-N-S® Number > Legal Entity Status > Legal Binding Authority > A Website
Apple creates a scare page out of spite and the Apple fanbois fall right for it.