Apple Ordered to Pay BRL 100 Million Fine in Brazil, Must Sell iPhone Models With Charger

A Brazilian court on Thursday fined Apple BRL 100 million (Rs. 150 crore) and ruled that battery chargers must come with new iPhone models sold in the country. The Sao Paulo state court ruled against Apple in a lawsuit, filed by the association of borrowers, consumers and taxpayers, that argued that the company commits abusive practices by selling its flagship product without a charger. Apple said it will appeal the decision.

Previously, the tech firm argued that the practice had the purpose of reducing carbon emissions.

"It is evident that, under the justification of a 'green initiative,' the defendant imposes on the consumer a required purchase of charger adaptors that were previously supplied along with the product," said the court's decision.

Last month, the government of Brazil fined the Cupertino tech firm BRL 12.275 million (roughly Rs. 18 crore) for not including a charger in the box with its iPhone models, while claiming that customers were provided with an incomplete product. Apple was also ordered to stop the sales of iPhone units without included chargers in the country.

At the time, the Justice Ministry of Brazil had ordered Apple to stop selling the iPhone 12 and newer models, along with other iPhone models that do not come with an included charger. The ministry had also stated that the exclusion of the charger "deliberate discriminatory practice against consumers", and that the iPhone was lacking an "essential" component.

Apple discontinued the inclusion of chargers with the launch of the iPhone 12 in 2020, as part of what the company says are efforts to reduce carbon emissions. These arguments were reportedly rejected by the Justice Ministry, which claimed that there was no evidence of protection for the environment from the exclusion of a charger.