Australia is currently in the middle of an IT pricing inquiry, set to identify why our media ends up costing so much more compared to the same content in North America. Until yesterday, participation was voluntary… which meant that the big hitters in the industry — Apple, Microsoft and Adobe — weren’t really playing ball. That’s now set to change as all three companies have now been summonsed to participate in a public hearing on 22 March in Canberra to discuss the matter, Kotaku Australia uncovered yesterday.
If the companies do not show up and speak at the hearing, they’ll face legal consequences.
“These firms should have cooperated and been prepared to be more open and transparent about their pricing approaches,” said Ed Husic, the Australian MP in charge of the inquiry. “In what’s probably the first time anywhere in the world, these IT firms are now being summonsed by the Australian Parliament to explain why they price their products so much higher in Australia compared to the US. Adobe, Apple and Microsoft are just a few firms that have continually defied the public’s call for answers and refused to appear before the IT Pricing Inquiry,” he said.
Husic continued to point out that “television and computer prices fell 14 per cent according the to the latest Consumer Price Index Figures,” since the inquiry began, but “there’s still a long way to go – with some estimates suggesting that Australian prices are up to 60 per cent higher than the US.”
We’ll keep you informed of the progress of the inquiry.
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