A Brazilian court fined Apple a second time for not bundling chargers with the iPhones it sells in the country. The court imposed a fine of 100 million reals ($19 million).
The Brazilian association of borrowers, consumers and taxpayers filed the lawsuit in the Sao Paulo state court.
Brazilian court wants Apple to bundle chargers with iPhones
The court ruled against Apple in the lawsuit, noting that it “imposes on the consumer a required purchase of charger adaptors that were previously supplied along with the product.”
Sao Paulo’s state court wants Apple to sell iPhones with bundled chargers in the country. Additionally, it wants the company to provide chargers to all consumers who purchased an iPhone after October 13, 2020.
Starting with the iPhone 12 series in 2020, Apple stopped bundling power adapters in the box, citing environmental reasons. The move has allowed the company to reduce the packaging size and save on carbon emissions. It argues that users already have chargers from previous smartphone purchases. And if needed, they can buy a power adapter separately.
Apple will appeal the decision
Brazil’s Justice Ministry fined Apple 12.275 million reals ($2.35 million. ) in September over the same issue. It claimed Apple’s move was a “deliberate discriminatory practice against consumers.” The ministry had also imposed a sales ban on iPhone 12 and newer models for shipping without a power adapter. But Apple has continued selling iPhones without a wall adapter in the country. It has filed an appeal against the ruling and plans to appeal the Sao Paulo state court’s order, too.
Apple’s move to remove the charge from the iPhone’s box has not gone well with Brazilian authorities. In 2021, Procon-SP, the country’s consumer protection regulator, fined Apple R$ 10.5 million (US$2 million) for shipping the iPhone 12 without a power brick.
