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[Alpha Biz=(Chicago) Reporter Kim Jisun] According to the Fair Trade Commission's authoritative interpretation, it may be illegal for Kakao Mobility to collect fees even for calls using third-party taxi applications in addition to its platform.
This is the FTC's first position since Daegu City, which operates a local taxi app, reported Kakao Mobility's unfair collection of fees. Kakao Mobility is still drawing a line as a 'misunderstanding'.
According to a response submitted by the Fair Trade Commission to the office of lawmaker Kim Hee-gon on the 22nd, the FTC said, "Kakao Mobility's imposing membership fees on the number of taxi operations not called through its system may constitute a disadvantage under the Franchise Business Act. Providing disadvantages under the Franchise Business Act refers to unfairly penalizing franchisees by using their trading status. Kakao Mobility judged that it could be an "act of penalizing" to charge a call fee set by a taxi driver (Kakao T Blue) with a third-party taxi app.
However, the Fair Trade Commission has specified an "exception requirement." If the franchise headquarters does not penalize them, the trademark rights of the franchise headquarters cannot be protected. It may not be illegal if the contract was signed after informing the franchise operator in advance that the franchise headquarters could penalize them.
This means that if Kakao Mobility signed a contract after notifying taxi drivers in advance that sales using third-party taxi apps can also be caught as total sales and charge fees, it is not illegal.
AlphaBIZ 김지선(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
