Back in September, the Brazilian Ministry of Justice ordered the suspension of iPhone sales in the country after deciding that Apple harms consumers by selling the product without the power adapter. Apple has continued selling iPhones in Brazil despite the ban, and a Brazilian court on Tuesday fined Apple – once again – for not including the accessory in the phone’s box.
Brazilian court wants to force Apple to ship iPhones with a charger
This time, the decision came from a court in the state of São Paulo. According to the judge (via Reuters), what Apple does is a “tie-in sale” since there are consumers who don’t have a compatible power adapter at home and are forced to buy a new one, which has been sold separately since 2020.
Apple, of course, claims that it no longer ships the iPhone with the power adapter included as a way to reduce carbon emissions and electronic waste. However, the Brazilian court believes that this is just a way for the company to make more money by selling its own accessories.
As a result, Apple was fined R$100 million (which is about $19 million) by the São Paulo Court of Justice. The court also ordered Apple to include the power adapter in iPhones sold in Brazil. Apple has said that it will appeal the decision, just as it did when the Brazilian Ministry of Justice ordered a halt to iPhone sales in the country.
Previously, Apple had already accumulated more than R$20 million (about $3.7 million) in fines in Brazil for not selling iPhones with a charger included. Of course, the company’s decision to appeal the ruling buys some extra time to keep selling the devices in Brazil while it prepares its defense in court.
It’s worth noting that pre-orders for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro began in Brazil last week, with the official launch set for this Friday. At least for now, the phones will ship without a charger included.
Earlier this year, Samsung was hit with the same requirement in Brazil. However, unlike Apple, the South Korean company decided to be compliant with the Brazilian government and is now including the plug adapter with its latest products, such as the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4.
USB-C may become mandatory in Brazil
But the dispute between Apple and the Brazilian government may not stop there. The Brazilian telecom regulatory agency, also known as Anatel, has proposed that every smartphone sold in the country should adopt USB-C as a standard.
Unsurprisingly, this aligns with the recent European Union decision, which will also force Apple to adopt USB-C in the iPhone starting in 2024. The US Senate is also considering a similar proposal, which means that the Lightning connector may be in its last days.
