A Brazilian court on Thursday sentenced Apple to $100 million in fines and ruled that battery chargers must come with new iPhone models sold in the United States. Apple has filed a lawsuit, alleging that the company violates consumer rights by selling its flagship product without a charger. Apple has said that it will appeal the verdict.
The pharmaceutical company claimed that this exercise had the aim of reducing carbon emissions previously.
"It''s evident that, under the guidance of a "green initiative," the defendant imposes on the consumer a required purchase of charger adaptors previously supplied with the product," said the court''s decision.
Last month, the Brazilian government fined Cupertino Technology Group BRL 12.275 million (roughly Rs. 18 crore) for failing to include a charger in its iPhone models, claiming that customers were provided with an incomplete product. Apple was also ordered to stop the sales of iPhone units without adding chargers in the country.
At the time, the justice minister of Brazil had ordered Apple to discontinue selling the iPhone 12 and newer models, along with other iPhone models that do not come with an included charger. The minister had also stated that the exclusion of the charger "deliberate discriminatory behavior against consumers" and that the iPhone was lacking an "essential" component.
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Apple discontinued the inclusion of chargers after the iPhone 12 was launched in 2020, as part of its claims about effective efforts to reduce carbon emissions. These arguments were reportedly rejected by the Justice Ministry, which claimed that there was no protection for the environment from the exclusion of a charger.