Apple has been fined $19m in Brazil for not having a charger for its iPhone
Oct 17, 2022| Apple has been fined $19m in Brazil for not having a charger for its iPhone
A court in Brazil's Sao Paulo state on Thursday fined Apple 100 million reais (136 million yuan) and ruled that new iphones sold in the country must come with battery chargers, Reuters reported. The lawsuit, filed by an association of Brazilian borrowers, consumers and taxpayers, accuses Apple of abuse by selling its flagship product without a charger.
Apple said it stopped providing chargers for iphones to reduce carbon emissions. Apple argues that many customers already own chargers and will continue to sell them separately. But the trial court did not look favorably on Apple's interpretation, "It is clear that under the 'green Initiative' justification, defendant (Apple) required consumers to purchase the charging adapter that previously came with the product."
In addition to the fine, Apple is expected to sell iphones with chargers in the region and provide chargers to all Brazilians who buy its products after October 13, 2020, according to Brazilian news site Estadao. With the launch of the iPhone 12 model in 2020, Apple stopped providing a charger for the iPhone. In most countries, Apple no longer offers iphones with EarPods or power adapters, only USB-C to Lighting charging cables.
Back in September, Brazil's Justice Ministry ordered Apple to stop selling iphones without chargers and fined it $2.34 million for providing incomplete products to customers. But Apple did not comply with the order and is appealing the ruling. Apple will also appeal today's ruling.
