App Industry Proposes Changes To Accommodate Consumer Concerns Regarding Online Games Apps

On 18 July 2014, the European Commission (the "Commission") reported on the changes that Internet platform providers Apple (iTunes) and Google have proposed in response to the consumer law problems regarding in-app purchases in online games that were identified in the context of a joint enforcement action by the Commission and various national enforcement authorities across the EU.

The proposed changes are aimed to accommodate the four most important consumer concerns in the field. These four main issues, listed in a common position paper of the national authorities in December 2013, are the following:

• Games advertised as "free" should not mislead consumers about the real costs involved;